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Events and Observations SWME15 from delegatesTRANSCRIPT
Events and Observations in 2014 (SWME15)Version 5th April 2015
Bob Earll [email protected] 01531 890415
Contents 22- 100 Weather - Oceanography - Plankton
102 - 121 Benthos
123-192 Fish - Pelagics - fish observations - sunfish - basking sharks - sharks -
196-225 Birds
231 - 240 Seals
243 - 294 Cetaceans
296 - 341 Management
343 - 409 Storms 2013 - 2014 from SWME14 Observations
NotesColumns Column A is the recorder number - see names and
Grouping The observations in some categories have been grouped
Grouping and the Text for the 2014 report: the groupings within
each category could form the basis of the sub-headings of the 2014
Other reports: These observations need to be linked with other
reports: CWT Strandings, SeaQuest, Seasearch, Bird reports, Relative
Dupicated records - where observations relate to two or more
categories some of these have been copied - duplicated in to more
SWME14 Observations There are also observations on the winter
storms in the Excel file of observations from the SWME14
conference - when the observations from the start of the year were
Weather - Oceanography - Plankton
16 Weather -Rivers Higher flow and faster flow, also pH changes in some rivers
44 Weather Change in beach topography
67 Weather
Huge deposits of sand in Lyme Bay:
- Blasted benthic community
- All observations in talk
67 Weather Loss of sand at Whitsand and Pras (?) and then return of sand banks
3 Weather Winter storms
4 Weather Storms in Newquay and surrounding beaches
6 Weather Major storms and high tides - damage to coastline
6 Weather Very warm spring - last March was very warm and sunny - early
10 Weather Fantastic summer leading to calm seas and ideal conditions for sea
16 Weather Longer periods of bad weather, Spring delayed and Winter
18 Weather
Seaton Beach nr Looe Cornwall - Seaton river changed course
significantly on beach after February storms. New reefs exposed,
19 Weather
Masses of sand washed into Wembury obliterating some of the rock
pools and creatures that lived there (all went over water)
21 Weather
Storms from Jan-March unusually inclement period of weather -
affected patterns of fishing effort and likely impacts on coastal
22 Weather
Stormy winter (understatement) - Just for example, between Feb
4th and Feb 14th we had four major storms from a SW/SSW
direction. Very damaging to infrastructure and property. Seabirds
washing ashore (mainly guillemots) dead or dying. Mousehole Bird
Hospital were full - said they were full of auks. Birds were
undernourished and weak. This followed a January full of westerly
storms which damaged the north coast, a terribly wet and windy
(northerly) December - flooding on Levels and storm surge down
26 Weather Storms! (Kelp/Washed rocky shore) - Hotter summer (more long
27 Weather
2014 Winter Storms - Huge increase in suspended sediment
(increased BDMLR call outs for stranded seal pups). This obviously
decreased light penetration, did this have any noticeable affect on
planktivores? Ripped up brown algaes (noticeably kelp spp). How
29 Weather Winter 2014 Storms - Pink sea fans washed ashore on Wembury's
33 Weather The winter 2014 storms
34 Weather High storms in Plymouth -> very rough seas, very high tide levels
40 Weather
Extreme winter storms 2014 - particularly the Plymouth Sound
valentine's day storm when we all thought Cawsand dock tower
41 Weather Winter storms
53 Weather
Storms of February 2014, particularly flooding from high tides and
damage from tidal surge - worse than severe storms of Autumn
2003 (or 2004?). Based on my experience as a home-owner on
57 Weather Summer - warm sea temperatures and good weather
57 Weather
Thunder storm - July - Scillies - extraordinary intense display
lightning and thunder every few seconds
59 Weather
Storms in late 2013/early 2014 dramatically altered the coverage
and make-up of the macroalgae on Mount Batten, noted in my
61 Weather
Unprecedented storms; hugely destructive effects on beaches with
extreme loss of sediment e.g. at Slapton Sands. Some beaches now
62 Weather
Big winter storm in 2014 - increased wave height and storm
intensity. Movement of sediment and sand relocation. Erosion and
63 Weather
South Devon coast very bad visibility due to land slides and
upwelling of sediment due to 2014's storms
65 Weather
Heavy winter storms - large number of egg cases reported to Great
Egg case Hunt, including huge number of Cuckoo Rays and Blond
66 Weather
Winter storms - Changes in algal species and cover on rocky shores
and seabeds resulting from stripping of algae in storms. Bare
seabed and overturned/broken boulders filmed in Kimmeridge Bay
68 Weather Flat calm all summer, no surf and perfect weather for sea watching
70 Weather
Winter storms inc in marine strandings - birds, seal pups, uncovering
of wreaks and petrified forests. North coast of Cornwall (Polzeath,
77 Weather Storms and effects on diver visibility
52 Weather Feb 2014
Back in February I went for a walk along Dawlish Warren, just after
the severe storms. Along the beach were a huge number of dead
birds, but almost all of them (23 out of 25 observed) were
Razorbills. The other two birds were Guillemot. There was also a
huge number of lesser spotted Dogfish washed up - about 12 in
50 Weather/Benthos
Loss of sand at Bovisand - huge areas of the intertidal scoured due
to storm activity - decreased number of intertidal species
31 Weather/Birds
Winter storms in and around Cornwall, loss of beach sediment and
shifts in the make up of the coastline. Stranded baby puffin on Gylly
8 Weather/Management Issues
Storms of 2014. Impact on coastal change and benthic change in
Bideford Bay. (pers.com.fishermen). Rocky areas covered by
23 Weather/Ocean Heybrook Bay beach now covered in sand after storms and this has
34 Weather/Oceanography
Regular snorkelling in Wembury Bay - May-Sept. Poor visibility after
rain but fairly clear in periods of dry weather, less sand present,
exposing rock. Bigger particle size of sediment present. Very warm
47 Winter 2014 Storms
The amount of sand moved off the beaches by the storms and the
amount of rubbish blown in. In particular Parran Beach from
48 Weather 2014
Caused large movement of sand bars in bays (Bideford Bay and
Woolacombe) and high energy benthos, altering riptides, and fishing
SEE STORMS 2013/14 from below 343 - 409
Oceanography - Plankton & Jellyfish
7 Oceanography Summer SST's warmer than usual
15 Oceanography
High levels of ASP toxin found in Scallops caught in the Channel
caused by algal blooms. Increased toxin levels started in May 2014,
still ongoing. Probably due to warm water temperatures/mild
9 Oceanography Plankton
Sahfos Plankton - data not in yet, hopefully preliminary results in
time for report. I can contribute a list of unusual Plankton
24 Oceanography Plankton
Influx of Trichodesmia diatom (rarely seen) in autumn, Bloom of
diatom (like the spring bloom) in December 2014)
30 Oceanography Lots of jellyfish on south coast of Devon during summer 2014
10 Oceanography (plankton)
Large numbers of barrel jellyfish - lots of people having close
encounters whilst swimming/snorkelling
17 Oceanography (plankton)
Jellyfish Hugh Rhizostoma (Barrel) swarms throughout summer. Still
around over the winter anecdote of fishermen off S Cornwall
36 Oceanography (plankton)Jellyfish Huge numbers of barrel jellyfish in Penzance harbour and
64 Oceanography (plankton)
Jellyfish Aequoria species present on Woolacombe beach from
5/8/14 to 3/3/15. Greatest number on 31/8/14
6 Oceanography Masses of barrel jellyfish and other jelly species - also Ctenophoras
32 Oceanography
Lots of barrel jellyfish on south coast of Cornwall (near Falmouth)
and other jellyfish
32 Oceanography
Bioluminescence bloom on south coast of Cornwall (Falmouth
Maenporth) for an extensive time mid-summer
38 Oceanography
Masses of small jellyfish (prob. Moon) at Penhale throughout the
summer. Blue jellies abundant also here and Porthtowan
43 Oceanography High sea surface temperatures in July. I recorded temps of 21.0C at
49 Oceanography
Number of jellyfish reported sightings in February 2015 - barrel, blue
fin, by-the-wind sailors. South Devon - Crystal jellyfish in Salcombe -
57 Oceanography Plankton - Barrel jellyfish sightings
57 Oceanography
Continued movement of sand around the Newquay area - ongoing
re-distribution after 2013-14 storms? (Changes in levels up and
62 Oceanography Phytoplankton and zooplankton biomass and abundance relate to
73 Oceanography
Spring phyto plankton bloom again, made showing plankton to the
children on-board difficult until vertical trawl discovered!
73 Oceanography
Recorded sea temperatures at Wembury Point while monitoring
Scyliorhinus stellaris egg cases: April 13.7, May 14.5, Jun 18.3, Jul
19.1, Aug 18.4 & 19.3, Sep 18.5 & 20 & 18.4, Oct 16.1 & 16.2, Nov
73 Oceanography Seemed to be more wakame on the pontoons in 2014
5 Oceanography (plankton)Sightings of barrel jellyfish
53 Oceanography (plankton)Sightings of barrel jellyfish in Fowey River - never seen before
26 Oceanography/Benthos Barrel jellyfish in abundance - sea and river
22 Oceanography/Plankton
Massive abundance of Rhizostoma - In March/April started hearing
reports of masses of rhizostoma pulmo further east and further out
to sea, from fishermen and other wildlife operators. In April they
started appearing in Mount's Bay in large numbers, from the east.
Stayed all summer through many different weather systems and
tides. Even observed in Penzance harbour and along the shore.
Many of them very large. Also large numbers of compass jellyfish.
66 Oceanography? Jellyfish - Abundance of Rhizostoma pulmo from early May until end
2 Oceanography PlanktonJelly fish bloom
76 Oceanography Plankton
Dense aggregations of barrel jellies around Penzance and South
Penwith in May/June - also many small (approx 10cm) blue Cyanea
74 jellyfish Crystal jellyfish seen at Wembury Point
74 jellyfish Only two barrel jellyfish seen, late summer
71 jellyfish By-the-wind Sailors and mauve stingers 300+ of each on Chapel
51 Fish (Jelly)
On calm days, many barrel jellyfish sited off the coast in Falmouth,
also on the coastline between the Lizard and Penzance
Benthos & Intertidal
Storm effects
58 Benthos
Very heavy sand scours on many shores - removing much of the
sessile life leaving polished rock surfaces and thin shelled limpets
58 Benthos
An unusually high amount of scour and erosion, with wash out of
large long-lived bivalves like Lutraria spp
62 Benthos Wash-out of sediment. Burrowing species unable to burrow into
5 Benthos - intertidal Change in intertidal habitat as a result of winter storms
35 Benthos/Management Issues
Following the winter storms a huge amount of static gear was lost
by the fishing industry. This had huge economic impacts for the
fishermen but also has consequences for ghost fishing and damage
28 Benthos?
Quality of scallops was affected by storms. Lyme Bay - lots of empty
shells, reduction in muscle mass
Observations
20 Benthos
Several sightings of juvenile spring lobsters (Crawfish) in Falmouth
Bay on the reefs - Bizzies and Welps. First time spring lobsters seen
24 Benthos
Remarkable recruitment of football sea squirts (Diazona violaca ) in
some areas of S Devon (which first observed in 2008) continued in
43 Benthos
Depilatory Sea Hare (Aplysia depilans ) found to be breeding
(presence of egg masses on rocks in rock pool) at Marazion. Three
55 Benthos
Kaleidoscope* stalked jellyfish (*plus two other species, name not
known), Pistol Shrimp, Sea Gherkin, Spiny Squat Lobster, Common
Squat Lobster, Nudibranchs (? Names?). Devonshire Cup Coral,
Dahlia, Daisy, Snake locks, Beadlet Anemones
All at Hele, Nr Ilfracombe, rocky shore north facing (at low shore -
most recorded)
European and Arctic Cowrie, Sea Spiders x 3 spp, Common Hermit
Interactions with use and management
58 Benthos Lots of monofilament fishing plastic washed up in bundles with
58 Benthos
The rapid spread of electric pulse fishing in the Southern North Sea
including UK flagged vessels owned by the Dutch
28 Benthos?
From working with fishermen in Lyme Bay - great year for juvenile
lobsters - large amounts caught in pots. Brown crab - expected to
52 Benthos
While diving in Lyme Bay in July, I was amazed by the number and
size of Pink Sea Fans, so many that you could not see the sea floor
for Pink Sea Fans, but also noted the very high amounts of fishing
line wrapped around a large proportion of fans, While commercial
57 Cuttlefish I saw two Cuttlefish on snorkels, never seen one snorkelling before
Fish (sun fish and basking sharks, sharks and turtles)General
8 Fish Storms/floods impacted fresh water/salinity/turbidity Bristol
42 fish
Storms caused sand to move off-shore covering low water reefs.
Covered by 1.5 metres of sand causing lobsters and small coastal
Pelagic species - shoals and species
11 Fish
Anchovy Engraulis encrasicolus - At the end of October and through
much of November there were large shoals of Anchovy off the south
coast of Devon and Cornwall, especially off Plymouth. A Derbio
Trachinotus ovatus was caught amongst a shoal off Rame Head (SE
11 Fish
Whitebait Clupeids - Large shoals of "Whitebait", i.e. small clupeids,
were seen in shallow bays in Devon and Cornwall in the latter half of
2013, and the same occurred again in 2014. The few I was able to
21 Fish
Poor juvenile survival in Bass stock during very cold winters a few
years ago, appears now to be translating into poor recruitment to
the adult/spawning stock - evident in size distributions from
22 Fish Whitebait/Mackerel on shores/in harbours. But late.
23 Fish
Largest school of Mackerel ever seen by us on fish finder. South of
Mew Stone at drop off. 50 caught in 8 mins. August bank holiday
23 Fish Big schools of Whitebait right up under pontoons in QAB, Plymouth -
25 Fish
Abundant yr 0 & 1 Bass - Reports of lots of small/juvenile fish this
year - especially bass. Although bass stocks critical, two warmish
26 Fish
Mackerel bubbling by quayside in Looe river. Small fish (sprats and
eels) littering the shoreline. Large tuna washed up at Kingsand?
27 Fish
Fish Shoals - Entire shoals of baitfish found on strandline followed
by mackerel. Looe river, there were shoals of mackerel (presumably
28 Fish
Mackerel very abundant - however, in May/June - expected to be
there, but couldn't catch a single one! No fisherman could! Then
38 Fish Mackerel seemed to be late in arriving in Falmouth …. Maybe they
43 Fish
Mackerel scarce inshore May-end July in Cornwall. Then huge influx
of mackerel shoals at start of August, tended to be smaller
51 Fish Huge amounts of mackerel off the coast of Falmouth - caught
61 Fish Huge numbers of mackerel, unusual, never seen before in my
63 Fish Sprat being washed into Beesands by mackerel
67 Fish No mackerel in Lyme Bay early in the season - followed by huge
69 Fish Massive shoals of mackerel around the coast in late summer
76 Fish Mackerel shoals up the Tamar beyond Mt Wise - August-September
77 Fish Whitebait (as mentioned)
74 Fish Caught many more mackerel than for many years, in barn pool
74 Fish Mass stranding of small fish (sprat/herring/mackerel?) in rock pools
59 Fishing
Many sightings of large schools of mackerel in Bigbury, shown to be
driving whitebait up to the shoreline
43 Fish
Numbers of Atlantic Bonito caught over the summer by anglers and
commercial fishermen; mainly juveniles but was told of an individual
41 Fish Atlantic bonito's - Have heard a number were caught in SW
11 Fish
Bonito Sarda sarda - From at least July to October the uncommon
small tuna Sarda sarda was regularly found amongst the mackerel,
68 Fish
Blue fin tuna stranding cables in the summer - coincides with ABFT
repopulating Ireland and appearing in Scotland as well ->
27 Fish
Tuna (Blue Fin?) washed up at Kingsand/Cawsand. Increased
numbers of triggerfish washing up (specifically on north coast of
11 Fish
Bluefin Tuna Thunnus thynnus - A medium sized Bluefin Tuna was
found alive in the shallow water of Cawsand Bay (SE Cornwall) in
July 2014. A similar one was found in similar circumstances at
20 Fish Lump fish photographed early May at St Anthony Point, Falmouth
43 Fish
Several Oceanic Pufferfish (Lagocephalus Lagocephalus ) washed up
over the summer. I know of two found at Hayle, one at Penzance
43 Fish
Large influx of Cod to inshore waters around SW. Noticed from
July/August onwards - shore anglers have reported that this has led
49 Fish Oddity - spiny seahorse caught in Kingsbridge Crede in Autumn 2014
64 Fish 10 Triggerfish ashore on Woolacombe beach during Jan/Feb 2015 -
Sun fish
73 Fish No sunfish seen this year
76 Fish Several Mola mola off Scilly in May/June.
36 Fish Sunfish - Barks Head nr Tintagel - 2 no 13/8/14. Regular here
Basking Sharks
36 Fish
Basking Sharks Despite 9 Scillonian trips as a wildlife guide for the
RSPB and several sea-watches off North Cornwall, no basking sharks
17 Fish
Basking sharks Low sightings numbers June to end of season after
an early spike similar to Ireland + 10M? Lack of predictable season
7 Fish Fewer Basking Sharks reported in 2014 (although tour operators
10 Fish Where were all the Basking Sharks?
20 Fish Basking Sharks - none observed in Falmouth Bay for the first time in
27 Fish
Low numbers of basking shark sightings observed through CWT
Seaquest SW project. We could only speculate on the cause at our
end of year roadshow around Cornwall - the public are interested -
43 Fish
Noticeable lack of Basking Sharks around West Cornwall. I sighted
one individual in April at Porthcurno. Usually see 20+ individuals
47 Fish Lack of Basking Shark sightings, only one during all the Seaquest
65 Fish Basking Shark numbers reported to be even lower than usual
68 Fish
Basking Shark numbers very low 19 or 39? records - 91 animals.
Also sighting season was very short - ended 30/6. No sharks bar two
22 Fish - Basking Sharks
Basking sharks Hardly any - 11 sightings in total, spread out over the
whole area we cover. First one was April 8th so reasonably early.
62 Fish Sightings of Basking Shark appear somewhere else. Related to
Sharks & Rays
65 Fish
Great White Shark hysteria - 'Lydia' tagged GWS crossed mid-
Atlantic Ridge 'heading for SW' but still 1000 miles away. Footage of
Basking Shark mistaken for GWS in September (off Falmouth) -
73 Fish Scyliorhinus stellaris lay eggs year round at Wembury Point
45 Fish Found a Blonde Ray's mermaid's purse; on Worbarrow Bay, Dorset,
Turtles
31 Turtles
The increased sightings of stranded olive ridley turtles on Cornwall
and Devon coastline indicating increasing populations elsewhere?
31 Turtles Sighting of a leatherback turtle in Falmouth harbour within the
See Fisheries in Management
BirdsBird wreck - storms
54 Birds Major wreck of seabirds (mostly Auks) following severe storms in
Cornwall Strandings Netork Presentation - November 2014 - Ruth
64 Birds 22/2/14 - 60 Auks/ 30 Razorbills/30 Guillemots on two tides on
66 Birds
Storm wreck - hundreds of dead birds washed up in Dorset,
especially Chesil Beach in Lyme Bay. A wide variety of species but
22 Birds Weather
Stormy winter (understatement) - Just for example, between Feb
4th and Feb 14th we had four major storms from a SW/SSW
direction. Very damaging to infrastructure and property. Seabirds
washing ashore (mainly guillemots) dead or dying. Mousehole Bird
Hospital were full - said they were full of auks. Birds were
undernourished and weak. This followed a January full of westerly
storms which damaged the north coast, a terribly wet and windy
(northerly) December - flooding on Levels and storm surge down
52 Birds - Weather Feb 2014
Back in February I went for a walk along Dawlish Warren, just after
the severe storms. Along the beach were a huge number of dead
birds, but almost all of them (23 out of 25 observed) were
Razorbills. The other two birds were Guillemot. There was also a
huge number of lesser spotted Dogfish washed up - about 12 in
PIB
26 Birds
Small repeat of PIB? issue with dead birds at Whitsand
Palm oil residue on Whitsand, Seaton and Looe beaches and ghost
4 Management Issues Oil, PPB, oil rancid lumps on beaches
Rat eradication
24 Birds
Storm Petrels - June breeding on Lundy for first time and only other
location is SW England outside IOS. Manx Shearwater and Puffin
numbers continue to rise at Lundy after rat eradication 10 years ago
72 Birds First fledging of Kittiwake Young on Isle of Scilly in five years
72 Birds
Manx Shearwater - 1st successful fledgling of young on St Agnes and
Gugh in living memory
Observations - Movements - aggregations
13 Birds
Balearic Shearwater concentrations west of Lyme Bay and again
West of Lundy Island (Bristol Channel) on October 2014 Peltic
Research cruise. Associated with large numbers of sprat and
13 Birds
Rafts of Balearic Shearwaters, ca. 200-300 individuals, recorded
between Jersey and Guernsey in July
54 Birds
Record Cornish count of Balearic Shearwaters in October 2014 -
continuing recent increasing trend of this CE species in SW UK
20 Birds Cormorants and shags few in number for the first half of year in
36 Birds
Barks Head, Tintagel. 8 red throated divers 23/1/14, Long tailed
Skua 21/10/14. Uncountable numbers of manx shearwaters
13/8/14. Storm Petrel 2 - 21/10/14. Kittiwakes passage 1,000+ in 1
46 Birds Rafts of Shearwaters off Land's End (early August)
47 Birds
The mixed flock of Terns that arrived in the Hayle Estuary on 27th
August and stayed for a few days. Estimated at 1600 birds including
Common Tern, Arctic Tern, Roseate Tern, Sandwich Tern, Little Tern
56 Birds
Gannets flocking in hundreds and possibly thousands in the Celtic
Deep. Displaying activity different to feeding, seemed to be
76 Birds Dense aggregations of gannets and shearwaters off Seven Stones in
78 Birds
Gannet flyby (18/10/14) - 150 birds in 40 minutes flying west -
observation site Great Sleaden Rocks (west of Start Point). The
majority were flying west - 5 flying east - low over the sea - along
78 Birds
Great Sleadon Rock (west of Start Point), May 27th 2014 7pm -
8.10pm: 26 shearwaters flying towards the east - along the Start
Point tide line in small groups; gannets 28 flying west - 9 east -birds
Links to Regional Bird Report Sites
Lundy
Seals 4 Seals Stranding 2013/2014 winter. 2014 winter - lot were sent to Gweek
16 Seals Less moulted pups needing rescuing this pupping season, possibly
18 Seals
Seal pup rescues in Cornwall winter Sept 2013/Feb 2014. High
number very underweight unweaned and recently weaned pups.
Possibly due to maternal separation in stormy weather e.g. 3-4
week old pups weight 12-18kg instead of 40-50kg. Also fractured
26 Seals Strandings and seal pup rescue of orphans after storms
60 Seals
Feb - previously unknown haul-out found (by me) in St Austell Bay. I
have monitored this site all year. Photo ID (Sue Sayer) links this site
via 18 previously/subsequently photographed individuals to seven
other sites including Scilly and Skomer (both SACs). This haul-out
quieter in early 2015. Maybe in 2014 numbers extra high sheltering
66 Seals
More records of seals and same individuals staying for prolonged
periods (months) than in previous years
70 Seals Large numbers of seal pups stranded in 2014 - Cornwall seal group
21 Seals & Cetaceans Increasing evidence of grey seal predation on harbour porpoise
78 Seals
Great Sleadon Rocks (West of Start Point), south Devon; May 30th
2014 At least four seals hauling out and swimming near the rocks.
(Photos). Present for 6 hours across low water. Oblivious to walkers
and inshore potting boat passing very close to the rocks. Seen
CetaceansLocations - species by species
Links to existing reports SeaQuest, CWT Strandings, MARINElife,
Scillonian observations, Relative abundance lists
Overall - groups being seen together - locations
6 Cetaceans Survey trip to Ireland with IWDG - very poor year for sightings for
10 Cetaceans Great year for cetaceans - especially Risso's dolphins and minke
12 Cetaceans
Greater number of dolphin sightings, primarily common dolphins on
MARINElife Ilfracombe/Bideford to Lundy surveys in Summer (Apr-
13 Cetaceans
Regular sightings of common dolphins, Bottlenose dolphins,
Harbour porpoise and White-beaked dolphin again, July-Oct, in
14 Cetaceans
Large variety of cetacean species frequently seen all throughout
Summer months around Cornish coast
16 Cetaceans Lots more observations of species being seen together more often
47 Cetaceans
The number of good cetacean sightings during our Seaquest
Surveys, including Bottlenose Dolphin, Harbour Porpoise, Risso's
Dolphin, Minke Whale. AND sighting a white (anomalous coloured)
68 Cetaceans
Good year for cetaceans - 4 records of killer whales, 100+ Risso's
dolphin records, good year for minke whales
73 Cetaceans No live dolphins seen this year
13 Cetaceans
White-beaked dolphins recorded off Falmouth in late December.
Images show recaptures of individuals from Lyme Bay population
14 Cetaceans
MARINElife White-beaked dolphin south west catalogue updated
(62 individuals). Report produced for Natural England on population
14 Cetaceans
MARINElife - Bottlenose dolphin paper - Photo-identification study
of Bottlenose dolphins off south west England 2007-2014 to submit
17 Cetaceans
Using fin ID of 'Clet' - lone Bottlenose dolphin (BND) - tracked from
France, Cornwall, Wales, W Ireland, Scotland, 10M, Cornwall and
52 Cetaceans
April 2014 - On the way back from a dive at Orestone, near Torquay,
we saw a pod of almost 50 common dolphin, more than anyone had
56 Cetaceans
Large numbers of Common Dolphin in Lyme Bay in July. Large pod
of 30+ off Torbay (beginning of July)
14 Cetaceans Risso's dolphins recorded with calves in south Lyme Bay mid-
22 Cetaceans
Risso's dolphin sightings up - Never abundant, but we had 9
sightings of them in 2014 compared to 2 in 2013. A prey thing -
17 Cetaceans
Found numbers of Cuttlefish bones on beach with apparent 'teeth'
marks (fresh, some flesh still attached and evidence of ink) from
57 Cetaceans Many sightings of Risso's dolphins reported
36 Cetaceans Harbour Porpoises - Barks Head, Tintagel, 5+ 23/1/14 Max
39 Cetaceans
Good numbers of harbour porpoise seen in Falmouth bay (3 male,
female and juvenile) on 4-hour boat trip
71 Cetaceans Harbour Porpoises - nearly all sightings in end Aug, Sept, Oct, Nov,
60 Cetaceans
Orca seen in St Austell Bay. When huge numbers of mackerel in the
bay in mid summer (date not in my head but reported to Cornwall
Wildlife Trust ORKS). My record (from Kayak) one of five (and
38 Cetaceans
Relatively high numbers of Minke whale spotted between Dodman
Point and Lizard over the summer
56 Cetaceans
Large numbers of 'large' whales in the Eastern Celtic Deep, approx 8
different groups of Fin whales in small area, plus unidentified whales
Cetaceans - strandings synopsis - hyperlinkCWT Strandings report - hyperlink - summary precis
73 Cetaceans 4 stranded dolphins (inc one Risso's) tagged this year
63 Cetaceans Dolphin juveniles carcasses washed into North Coast of Devon -
MARINElife reports - is there a 2014 south west report - Hyperlink
Scillonian Report on Sightings? Hyperlink?
75 Cetaceans
13.6.14
(3) Harbour Porpoise - Penzance to Wolf Rock
(4 to 5) Risso's Dolphin - between St Mary's and St Agnes
75 Cetaceans
22.8.14
(1) Common Dolphin - Penzance to Wolf Rock
(2) Harbour Porpoise - Wolf Rock to St Mary's
(1) Minke Whale - Wolf Rock to St Mary's
75 Cetaceans
26.9.14
(3) Dolphin Sp - Penzance to Wolf Rock (09:12 hr)
(3) Dolphin Sp - Penzance to Wolf Rock (09:45 hr)
(1) Harbour Porpoise - Wolf Rock to St Mary's (11:05 hr)
(1) Common Dolphin - Wolf Rock to St Mary's (11:50 hr)
75 Cetaceans
24.10.14
(15) Common Dolphin - Penzance to Wolf Rock
(15) Dolphin Sp - Penzance to Wolf Rock
(1) Harbour Porpoise - Wolf Rock to St Mary's
75 Cetaceans
31.10.14
(3) Common Dolphin - St Mary's to Wolf Rock (15:30 hr)
(6) Common Dolphin - St Mary's to Wolf Rock (16:25 hr)
(1) Minke Whale - Wolf Rock to Penzance (16:50 hr)
Management (litter, fisheries, mpa, development)
Litter - plastics - debris washed ashore
67 Management Great year for pots and other fishing gear and driftwood!
1 Management
Marine plastics notably high on the agenda at a local level - could be
due to MSFD Descriptor refinement/consultation
3 Management < Marine plastic/debris/ghost fishing gear
4 Management Issues Oil, PPB, oil rancid lumps on beaches
29 Management Issues
A large amount of fishing gear and cut net on the beaches of North
Devon. Also presence of palm oil on beaches across the South West
48 Management Issues
Considerable amount of fishing gear and cut net being found
washed up, more than previous years. Large proportion of the
45 Management Issues
On beach clean up post …. wreck on Worbarrow Bay, Dorset, beach
and cliffs strewn with packaging from cigarette transportation.
Storm impacts
3 Management < Bird wrecks (winter 2013/14 and 2015)
3 Management < Seal stranding especially winter 2014/15
9 Management Issues
Funding normally allocated to evidence-providing R&D diverted to
flood response in Defra. Flooding higher on political agenda which
resulted in downgrading of profile of Marine Env policy (MSFD).
61 Management Issues
Much attention and concern in 2014 re ability of SW coastline to
recover from storms; investigations undertaken to determine
whether any soft engineering e.g. beach nourishment required to
MPAs - including MCZs
5 Management Proposed 4 MCZs in Cornwall and second tranche
40 Management Tranche 2 MCZs out to consultation
30 Management Issues
A personal one - there appears to be a significant gap in
understanding what "science" is up to, and where statutory nature
conservation bodies, and management (e.g. IFCAs, MMO) actually
try to work together. The "we" and "them" issue is very apparent.
It would be great if current science/projects would make a greater
effort of understanding what is currently worked on - Natural
54 Management Issues
First deep-water MCZ of SW UK designated (The Canyons). New
restrictions on bottom gear in European marine sites in SW UK
70 Management Issues
MCZ management is long behind their designation. Though data
takes a while to gather and decisions need to be informed - public
Fisheries
5 Management Increase in minimum landing size of Bass in Cornwall and quotas
7 Management Closure of Bristol Channel ray fishery due to quota exhaustion
8 Management Issues
Skate and Ray fishery closure in ICES Block VII. Poor adaptive
management/east coast.
44 Management Issues
Ray ban - lack of provisioning or warning for small scale inshore
fishermen (sorry, not an ecological or oceanographic issue but it's
65 Management Issues Bristol Channel (Appledore) fisheries closed for skate and ray (Oct
30 Management Issues
Demersal trawling (over 10m boats) in inshore (0-6nm) zones. Off
south coast of Devon (Blackpool Bend / off Start Bay); Summer 2014
7 Fish/Management
In mid-summer some vessels in Newlyn Fleet exhausted quota and
re-rigged for long-line Blue Shark fishing
Development - Science
4 Management Issues Community - work and events with local groups - new group in
31 Management Issues Maerl bed issues and possible dredging of Falmouth harbour to
54 Management Issues
First deployment of robot fleet off SW UK to monitor marine
environment and ecosystem -> robots now being used by
Winter Storms 2013 -
2014 From the SWME14 Conference
Weather
North Devon inter-tidal beach profiles completely altered by
sediment movements. 1-2m higher than usual, filling rock pools and
gullies. Difficult to judge full impact on sessile species as yet, most
presumed dead. Abundant low shore Limpet scars unoccuppied,
some sand dwellers disturbed. Kelps trashed which may be why
Weather/Ecology
Summer rainfall up = lower salinity for much longer than usual =
huge damage to harbours and marina ops. In Chichester (E.Sussex)
due to huge population influx and rapid growth of tube building
Weather Stormy seas made sampling challenging - difficult to assess effect on
Storms More litter at the beaches
Weather - Birds
Saunton Beach N Devon - over 3 kilometres in Feb 14 collected 64
dead auks - part of a south-west of England "crash" probably caused
Weather Run-off of silt/mud from agriculture contributed to reduced vis. in
Storms
Damage to foreshore. Impacts on wildlife - especially seals & sea
birds (washed ashore or needing rescuing)
Storms More debris/litter
Storms
Poor water visibility - hindering diving (& therefore monitoring
programme on Scylla). Expected to take a while to clear
Weather
Storm damage and extreme conditions - really hot summer 2013 -
unusual climate →flood damage in winter 2013/2014
Storms *Puffins, guillemots, razorbills, dead on S.Devon * Petrified Forest
Weather High tide risks, loss of beaches
Extreme weather
Extreme storms on East coast of Norfolk seriously affecting seal
colonies with young pups being washed onto nearby roads
Storms
Hot year, lots of sand washed in making access to rock pools easier.
This year - all gone! Beach totally rocky
Weather
Storms - soil wash-off from agricultural land entering water courses
and then of course the sea (eg detrimental impact on seagrass in
Weather
Hot summer - wet and windy winter - flooding and damage not only
at highest spring tides as is more usual (eg Feb 14)
Weather Very cold spring - poor weather made shore surveying difficult
Weather Dead seabirds washing up on the beaches
Oceanography/WeatherLarge, long fetch groundswells in Jan/Feb, hitting coast regularly
Weather Weed scoured from low intertidal
Weather
Exceptional storms throughout winter months - out of touch with
SW this year so can't comment otherwise
Weather Destruction of sea defences
Weather/Benthic Sand dune system degredation during storms
Weather
Thousands of birds being washed into England's coast during the last
few months/weeks due to the storms
Winter storms
Huge increase in seal pup rescues. As a BDMLR MEDIC rescued 9
seal pups along North Cornwall between Perranporth and Padstow -
normally only about 3. The Cornish seal sanctuary and West Hatch
Weather Winter storms - large number of dead birds washed up on Chesil
Weather
Extreme weather conditions at the end of 2013. Increased tidal and
wave conditions leading to marine litter, altered physical
Weather - storms Big storm events →huge nos. of dead seabirds on beaches. Also lots
Weather Storms winter 13/14. Lots of rain and large swell - lots of coastal
Storms in 2014
Effect on seashore and seabed life have been 'patchy' and,
although there have been 'wash-outs' and habitat damage, much is
as always. The highly turbid water that remains today is remarkable -
Winter storms
Benthos-eel grass beds at Longrock removed. Stalked jelly bloom
around Cornish Coast - early bloom?
2013/14 storms Extreme tidal surges - on 14 Feb occasion it was worst for 9 years
Weather
Changes to the Dorset coastline as a result of storms, and large-
scale disturbance to shallow-water habitats. Chesil Cove has
Storms 2014
Seagrass beds in Torbay damaged - lots washed up on beaches and
reports of seagrass caught in fishing gear
Storms Possible damage to seagrass beds in Torbay. Reports of seagrass in
Events - storm
Changes to physical structure of beaches (boulders moved, pebble
beaches became sandy), large amounts of silt in rockpools -
Weather Severe storms drastically changing coastline ecosystems
Weather-storms
Porthcurno had a lot of sand removed exposing cables on the beach.
Also seen dead pink sea fans washed up along Newquay beaches
Weather
Sand dunes at Dawlish Warren washed away - beach receding.
Defence for spit lost + loss of plant life
Weather-storms
Huge piles of kelp March 1st on Bovisand Beach, lots of scour in
rockpools. Sand filled many of the rockpools
Winter storms
Destructive storms, change to the sand bank, coastal erosion - but
mild temperature all winter - link to climate change - Americas big
Weather - storms Seabird storm wreck around Cornwall and Channel/France. V large
2013/14 storms
South Devon - significant erosion of mobile sediment beaches -
rocky shores remarkably unscathed, majority of impact here within
2013/14 storms
Great turbidity for longer →yet to see impacts. Salt spray likely to
have gone further inland →yet to see impacts
Weather
Exceptional storms and their knock on effects → flooding, erosion,
damage to coast (incl kelp forests). Impacts on organisms (ie seals in
Weather Severe storms. Plastic deposition and sand erosion at local beaches
Winter storms Decimated some blue mussel populations on both north and south
Weather Impacts on coastal communities + fishing industry. Litter on beaches
Benthos - intertidal
North coast of Cornwall - changes in sand & knock-on changes in
low water level, affecting duration of desscaton on rocky shore
Storms - Litter
Huge storms caused an enormous amount of plastic debris to wash
up on our beaches - highlighting how much is actually out at sea
Rocky Shore
Sand swept out from beaches - Coachington Haven. Old Sabellana
alveolata colonies noted? On rocks below sand that had been
Water Increased raw sewage discharges due to flooding
Storms - beaches
2013-much sand covered rocks so species eg anemones buried
deep. 2014-severe storms scoured rocks, removed sand and trashed
rockpool habitats. Not much survived. Previously rich rockpools are
Storms - eggcases
Winter storms - increase in eggcase submissions for great eggcase
hunt - blonde & cuckoo rays particularly; certain part of seabed
Storm - freshwater run offLots of dead edible 'crab keep boxes' due to freshwater running
Beach deposits
Beach profiles at Godrevy Mutton Cove changed in a fortnight - rock
platform exposed and recovered in 2 weeks. Others still not
Storms - Management Issues
Weather - Devon. Fishing - Lyme Regis. Storms have offset a lot of
the pots from the Lyme Regis/West Bay fishermen, causing a huge
loss of profit for fishermen as they have to use their time for fishing
Storms Newquay Harbour1920s wreck uncovered after huge groundsea in harbour - not
Great Western Beach Old wooden wreck exposed with wooden rails
Beaches Heybrook Bay shore now a sandy beach rather than cobbles after
Beach sediment movements revealing forests and wreck
Petrified forest revealed at Westward ho! and Porlock, also
shipwrecks rarely revealed. Most sand gone from Westward ho!
leaving mud and clay, similar at Porlock - both have long pebble
storms local beaches
Huge amount of sand removed from local beaches. Temporal
sediment quarrying, how this has affected nearshore in fauna
Management/storms There has been large numbers of crab and lobster pots lost to the
Management
(Storms 2014) over 90% of mussel lost from beds on the Taw-
Torridge estuary, due to storm damage. Beds likely to be closed to
Paula Ferris
Amy Muggeridge (Sussex)
J Skinner
Ana Leocardo
Dave Jenkins
Dave Jenkins
D Cracknell
D Cracknell
D Cracknell
Clare Marshall
Maya Plass
Anna Woodhead
Inge Smith
Janet Chapman
John Meakin
M Gardener and Tim Caulfield
Matt Slater
Caz Wadell
John Richardson
John Hepburn
Pete Cosgrove
Jon Eckert
Anna Prior
Lucia Mascorda
Annabelle Lowe
Andrew McLeish
Melanie Broadhurst (Alderney
Wildlife Trust)
Sam Cox
Rachel Gillingham
Keith Hiscock
Matt Slater
M Gardener and Tim Caulfield
Russell Noke
Katherine Gray
Lauren Parkhouse
Sara Marshall
Harry Burgis
Stephanie Davies
Lucy Rayner
Stacey De Amicis
Robyn Samuel
Ruth Williams
Nigel Mortimer
Nigel Mortimer
Jo Ziemann
K Scales
Jen Dyer
Sian Rees
C Wilding
Ceri Lewis
Chrissy Robertson
Jon Eckert
Jan Whittington
Cat Gordon
Nigel Mortimer
Sue Sayer
Harriet Yates-Smith/Blue
Marine Foundation
Annabelle Lowe
Annabelle Lowe
Martin Attrill
Jan Whittington
Mark Parry
Lauren Parkhouse
Katherine Gray