CONSERVATION ISSUES - FEBRUARY 2005

Conservation organisations including The Wildlife Trusts, the RSPB, WWF, the Marine Conservation Society and the Whale and Dolphin Society have been lobbying the government for some time to introduce a new marine bill. These organisations believe that time is running out for the seas around our coasts which are threatened by pollution and development, and over-exploitation by industrial scale fishing, and are currently almost wholly unprotected by effective laws. 

More than 40,000 species, 50% of the UKs plants and animals, including whales and dolphins, basking sharks, grey seals, puffins and a whole host of marine invertebrates, depend on healthy seas for their survival. The government has previously said they are committed to introducing marine legislation and in the last parliamentary session over 315 cross party MPs signed an early day motion 171 calling for it. However it was not mentioned in the recent Queen’s speech which means there is no chance of this legislation being brought in during the coming parliamentary session , or before the election. Joan Edwards, Head of the Wildlife Trusts Marine Programme says “ We cannot afford to wait years for this protection to be introduced, so we must keep the profile of the marine environment, and the need for new laws to protect our seas, as high as possible.

The Wildlife Trust would like people to show their support for the marine bill campaign by signing The Wildlife Trusts’ marine petition online at www.wildlifetrusts.org or by writing a letter of support to: Marine Bill Campaign, The Wildlife Trusts, The Kiln, Waterside, Mather Road Newark, NG24 1WT. The Wildlife Trust’ website also provides more information on the threats to the marine environment and the marine bill campaign, and other ways that people can help.

"Sound bombing” of the ocean floors to test for oil and gas near Tasmania last year may have been the cause of mass strandings of hundreds of dolphins and whales on three days in November. 96 long-finned pilot whales and Bottlenose Dolphins died after beaching on King Island between Australia and Tasmania, and another 19 long-finned pilot whales died in another beaching on Maria Island east of Tasmania. 43 had beached on that island, but 24 had been found alive and were returned to sea. Another mass stranding in the area was on Opoutere beach in New Zealand, where 73 pilot whales beached, 20 of which were saved, the other 53 were buried on the beach. Some of the 20 returned to the sea were expected to die, for they were too weak to follow the others out to sea. The leader of the Australian Green Party said that Ocean seismic tests for oil and gas had been carried out near the sites, and that the tests should be stopped until the whale migration season ends.

On 17th January a Thresher Shark was watched just off the quay at Mevagissey. It was circling and feeding on a shoal of anchovies, slashing at the shoal with it’s tail, and small fish were flying through the air. Harbour Porpoises accounted for most of the sightings again during January. A pod of 20 to 25 were in St Ives Bay on the 6th, a single one off Penzance Prom on the 19th, 2 or 3 were seen in

Widemouth Bay on the 26th and 4 to 6 were seen in the Porthgwarra and Porthcurno area on the 30th and 31st  3 Grey Seals were reported at Porthpean and 3 Bottlenose Dolphins were in the Bay at Sennen in the morning of the 28th and just outside Sennen harbour at 1430 that day. A pod of dolphins was seen off Harlyn Bay on the 30th.

Nine Harbour Porpoise carcasses were found washed up on Cornish beaches during January, all on the south coast except one at Harlyn Bay. There were six Common Dolphins and two other dolphin carcasses, too decomposed to be recognised, as was the case with two whale carcasses. There were 11 Grey Seals found dead, all on the north coast, except one on the south coast and another in the Scillies. There were 8 sharks found, all on the same day near Coverack, which suggests to me that a sharks sports fishing trip did not want their catch. 13 birds were also found, 10 Guillemots, a Gannet, a Razorbill and a Herring Gull.  

Conservation Officer Raymond Dennis

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