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CONSERVATION ISSUES - OCTOBER 2005

Last year saw the worst breeding on record for some seabird colonies, this is thought to be due to warming seas affecting sandeel distribution  Over the past 25 years, parts of the North Sea have warmed by over 2º C affecting plankton distribution and ultimately shifting the sandeels that feed on them beyond the reach of the seabird colonies. Continuous plankton records show that between 1960 and 1999 warm water plankton extended their range 10º northwards whilst the coldwater plankton species declined. Gwennap Head is at almost exactly 50º N and a 10º shift northward would be in the Shetland Islands, that’s a shift of about 900 miles   Such shifts may explain why planktivorous Basking Shark sightings around the Scottish coast has increased by 65% over the past 4 years whilst sightings around Cornwall has dropped by 66% over the same period. It is now generally accepted that global warming is a fact and not just a possibility, and things are being done to develop Blue Power to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and halt temperature increase. The Scottish Executive is committed to generating 40% of Scotland’s electricity from renewable sources by 2020 a quarter of which would be wave and tidal. A wave test facility in Orkney became operational in October 2003 with the first use of the Centre following in summer 2004 when Edinburgh based company Ocean Power Delivery (OPD) pioneered “Pelamis” the world’s first operational wave power generator. In May of this year Portugal bought three “Pelamis” P-750 machines to install 5km off its north coast, possibly to be followed by another 30 if the trial proves successful. To extend this pioneering work £6 million worth of funding has been committed to establish a tidal energy test centre. Developers are aspiring to tap onto Scotland’s huge wave, wind and tidal resource, to help it become the “Saudi Arabia” of renewable energy.

There was an interesting sighting about 26 miles east of Dartmouth at noon, on September 9th, of 16 adult and 3 young Pilot Whales herding and feeding on fish in the company of 6 adult Bottlenose Dolphins. There was also a Basking Shark nearby.

Bottlenose Dolphins were spotted 9 times during September from the Camel Estuary on the north coast to Fal Estuary on the south. A pod of 5 unidentified dolphins was probably Bottlenose because they were near an area where Bottlenose had been seen on the same day. 20 Common Dolphins were seen near the Gear Pole, Mounts Bay, on the 2nd and a small pod of 3 off Towan Beach on the 18th. Small pods of Risso’s were seen off Gwennap, Mousehole, The Brisons, Porthgwarra and in Fal Bay, and Harbour

Porpoises were reported 8 times, an interesting sighting being 50 or more in Fal Bay on the 18th, the largest pod of Porpoises reported for some time. A flotilla of Compass Jellyfish was reported in Fal Bay and large numbers of Garfish were reported off Newlyn and in Fal Bay. I had a report of a flying fish early in the month without date or location but received another report of a Flying Fish off Black Head near Coverack  on the 21st. Five cetacean carcasses were found during September, two were unidentified dolphins, too decomposed to be identified, and 3 Harbour Porpoises. One was at Sennen and one was seen floating at sea west of Eddystone, and another 3 miles off Porthleven.  

A Leatherback Turtle carcass was found on the Isles of Scilly

Conservation Officer Raymond Dennis

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