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A thriving undersea wildlife park has been
established at Cabo Pulmo near the southern tip of Mexico’s Baja peninusla and has proved to be the most robust marine reserve in
the world.
Citizens living around Cabo Pulmo’s previously
depleted fishing area, established the park in 1995 and have
strictly enforced it’s no-take restrictions.
Results of a 10
year analysis of Cabo Pulmo National Park (CPNP) revealed that
the total amount of fish in the reserve ecosystem (the biomass)
boomed more that 400 percent from 1999 to 2009. The citizens,
just a few families, who set up the reserve never dreamt of such
an extraordinary recovery of marine life. They said that in 1999
there were only medium size fish in the area, but ten years
later it’s full of large parrotfish, groupers, snappers and even
sharks.
The most striking result is that fish communities at a
depleted site can recover up to a level comparable to remote,
pristine sites that have never been fished by humans. A biomass
increase of 463 percent in a reserve as large as Cabo Pulmo (71
square kilometres) represents tons of new fish produced every
year. No other marine reserve in the world has shown such a fish
recovery.
 Scientists have discovered a remarkably
primitive eel in a fringing reef off the coast of the
Republic of Palau. This fish exhibits many
primitive features unknown in the other 19 families and more
than 800 species of living eels, resulting in its classification
as a new species belonging to a new genus and family. The
equivalent of this primitive eel, in fishes, has perhaps not
been seen since the discovery of the coelacanth in the late
1930s.
It is believed that such a long, independent evolutionary
history, dating back to the early Mesozoic (about 200 million
years ago) retention of several primitive anatomical features
and apparently restricted distribution, warrants
Protoanguilla palau recognition as a living fossil. The discovery of
this extraordinary and beautiful new species of eel underscores
how much more there is to learn about our planet; and it brings
home the critical
importance of future conservation
efforts — currently this species is known from only 10 specimens
collected from a single cave in Palau.
Research has provided extraordinary insights
into the origin of feathers. In particular, it helps to
resolve a long-standing debate about the original
function of feathers — whether they were used for flight,
insulation or display.
Researchers found that the theropod
dinosaur
Sinosauropteryx
had simple bristles – precursors of feathers and that other
dinosaurs had feathers, so we know that feathers came before
wings, so feathers did not originate as flight structures. It is
therefore suggested that feathers arose first as agents for
colour display and only later in their evolutionary history did
they become useful for flight and insulation.
Melanosomes are
colour bearing organelles buried within the structure of
feathers, and because melanosomes are an integral part of the
tough protein structure of the feather, they survive when a
feather survives, even for hundreds of millions of years and so
the colour of some feathers on dinosaurs and early birds have
been identified for the first time and researchers found that
Sinosauropteryx
had alternate orange and white rings down its tail.
There were 6 reports of Bottlenose Dolphin
during September, from Padstow down to Gwennap Head. Four other
reports of small pods of unidentified dolphins were probably
also Bottlenose. Eleven sightings of Common Dolphins were all from
the Gwennap Head area or sighted from the Scillonian.
Fourteen reports
of Harbour Porpoises were from Cape Cornwall, Hella Point and
Gwennap. Four reports of Risso's Dolphins were from Porthcurno and
Gwennap.
Eight Minke Whale were seen during the month, 7 from
Gwennap and 1 from the Scillonian. Only 7 Basking Sharks were
seen, 6 from Gwennap and 1 from the Scillonian. Five Ocean Sunfish
were seen off St Ives during the month and another off Gwennap.
There were 21 reported sightings of Grey Seals, all off Gwennap,
and often being disturbed from haul out by kayakers. The second
Leatherback Turtle of the year was seen off Pendeen on the
18th.
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