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Seabird has officially become the oldest UK’s recorded Arctic
Tern. It was ringed as a chick on the Farne Islands on 28th June
1980, making it at least 30 years, 2 months and 23 days old.
Arctic Terns typically live 13 years.
Global fisheries throughout the world
contribute £billions per year to the world wide economy, but
researchers also conclude that healthier fisheries could have
prevented malnourishment in nearly 20 million people in poorer
countries.
Overfishing reduces revenue. Annually,
estimated global catch losses from overfishing totalled up to
36% of the actual tonnage landed in a year, resulting in a
landed value loss of £billions each year.
Researchers focused on global fisheries
subsidies, or financial incentives that countries offer to their
fishing industries, which may contribute to depleted fish
stocks. Large developed countries are spending twice the amount
of tax-payers money on global fisheries subsidies that encourage
overfishing, than they are on subsidies that protect oceans.
Non-industrial uses of the oceans are a net positive for
economies and jobs.
Recreational use of ocean ecosystems by
sports divers, whale watchers, and recreational fishermen
contributes £billions each year to national economies worldwide
and generates nearly 1.1 million jobs. Many economies are paying
doubly for continued overfishing of our oceans. First, tax-payer
money is directly contributing to the decline of worldwide
fisheries, and second, fishermen and
 undernourished
people are hurting from a steady declining recourse. From a
socioeconomic standpoint, subsidies that promote overfishing
are doing far more harm than good.
Scientists have also been looking at the
human impact on the deep seafloor. The findings reveal that the
area disturbed by bottom trawling commercial fishing fleets,
exceeds the combined physical footprint of other major human
activities considered. Non-fisheries marine scientific research
has a relatively small footprint, whereas those of fisheries
marine scientific research, telecommunication cables and the oil
and gas industry are moderate. However even on the lowest
estimates, the spatial extent of bottom trawling is at least ten
times that for the other activities assessed, with a physical
footprint greater than that of all the others combined. 
This Dutch 120ft Scalloper UK307 regularly
calls at Newlyn with her catch of scallops, and is met by a
forty ton 18 wheeler lorry to take the catch away. She has 17
metal chain baskets, each a metre wide, on each side, which are
dragged across the seafloor, probably for miles at a time.
That’s a track 34 metres wide. Just think of the damage to the
seafloor this vessel does every time she goes to sea, and there
are hundreds of vessels like this.
Scientists investigating in one of the worlds
deepest ocean trenches— previously thought to be void of
fish—have discovered an entirely new species. This expedition
was prompted by findings in 2008 and 2009 off Japan and New
Zealand where new species of snailfish, known as Liparids, were
discovere d
inhabiting trenches at depths of approximately 7000 metres, with
each trench hosting its own unique species of fish.
To test whether these species would be found
in all deep trenches they moved across the Pacific, off Chile
and Peru, some 6000 miles, and found there was indeed another
unique species of snailfish living at 7000 metres, entirely new
to science, which had never been caught or seen before.
These latest discoveries provide a new
insight into the depths at which fish survive and the diversity
of populations which could exist in the deepest points of oceans
across the globe.
There were 5 reported sightings of Bottlenose
Dolphin during October, 4 early in the month and one of 3 in the
surf with surfers at Sennen on the 30th. Three other reports of
unidentified dolphins were probably Bottlenose.
Common Dolphins were reported 7 times and a
sighting of about 50 dolphins heading rapidly west well out off
Gwennap Head on the 21st were probably also Commons.
Risso's Dolphins were reported 4 times and
those seen on the 17th and 18th off Longships and Gwennap Head
were probably the same pod of 8 with a juvenile.
Harbour Porpoises were reported 7 times,
largest group was 36 of Gwennap Head on 15th. A Minke Whale was
seen off Gwennap on the 21st and Ocean Sunfish were seen off
Mawgan Port and in Porthleven Harbour.
Eleven
reported sightings of Grey Seals were all off Gwennap Head
except one which was in Newquay Harbour. |
