Marine Biology Blog

Bird Flu is a serious threat Irish Gannet Colonies.

Mon, 05 Sep 2022 14:53:23 GMT

Bird Flu is a serious threat to Irish Gannet Colonies.

ORCA SCI-COMM TEAM | 04 September 2022

ORCA Ireland are deeply concerned about the severe epidemic of bird flu of the H5N1 strain, which is highly pathogenic in cases of pelagic seabirds and has now hit seabirds in Irish waters. According to top scientists at the University College Cork (UCC), avian influenza has now reached Irish Gannet colonies. Recent reports from Irish scientists and members of the public have indicated a huge increase in the numbers of dead northern gannets off the Irish coasts. These increases in seabird deaths may be linked to the Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (H5N1).

Across Europe and the UK, “bird flu” has been devastating wild seabird colonies. Dozens of dead gannets have been observed on the Island of Grassholm, in Wales, and it is feared thousands more will die over the coming months as birds migrate around the world, according to the RSBP. In Scotland, more than 1,000 dead gannets were found in the world’s largest gannet colony, Bass Rock. On the Isles of Scilly, dead gannets have been showing up since early August. Similar reports have stemmed from Brittany, at Sept-Iles, the largest bird reserve in France.

The first case of H1N5 in wild birds in Ireland was confirmed on November 3rd, in Co. Galway in a Peregrine falcon ( Falco peregrinus ) and has since been recorded in 12 counties in Ireland, including; Galway, Limerick, Offaly, Donegal, Roscommon, Tipperary, Wexford, Waterford, Longford, Dublin, Cork and Cavan. Since April 2022, ORCA Ireland have been recording dead gannets killed by bird flu, but now, it appears the out-break is about to peak this winter and is threatening thousands of gannets at breeding colonies, with potential to wipe out local populations.

ORCA Ireland are asking members of the public to please log any dead seabirds they come across directly to the Department of Agriculture and the Marine's Avian Check here , and in the Observers App here , in our special seabird recording form with a note on if it was alive or dead, and what condition it was in, i.e. what symptoms was it showing if it was alive or if it was decomposed. You can also upload images directly to the Observers App in the send us images tab. Reporting to the Observers App will help us to further investigate and monitor the virus closely, as we are greatly concerned with marine wildlife welfare. Other seabird species such as great black-backed gulls, herring gulls, and puffins have also be impacted by the bird flu virus.

ORCA Ireland are also looking for volunteers to become “Beach Leaders” in their local area and to carry out daily patrols of the beaches in search of dead gannets and other marine wildlife.

We do not recommend bringing dogs with you while on patrol, (although they cannot get sick from the virus, they can become carriers of H1N5), and do not lift or touch the dead or sick seabirds you discover. Simply photograph/video them from a safe distance and document their location as they will need to be removed by local authorities to insure the spread of the virus is limited.

To get involved please email volunteer.orca@gmail.com with subject line - "Beach Leader".

The Dept. of Agriculture and the Marine also have an AVIAN Hotline which can be reached at 01 6072512. To keep up to date with the latest updates on the Avian Influenza visit the DAFM website here .

PCB Pollution Threatens Global Killer whale (Orcinus orca) Populations.

Thu, 14 Jul 2022 21:03:55 GMT

PCB Pollution Threatens Global Killer whale ( Orcinus orca ) Populations.

ORCA SciComm Team | 14th July 2022

Global killer whale population are predicted to collapse due to pollution with polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). A scientific report which used individual-based models combined with globally available data on PCB concentrations found that PCB-mediated effects on reproduction and immune function threaten the longterm viability of >50% of the world’s killer whale populations.

Additional contaminants are also present in killer whale tissues. Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are a group of flame-retardant compounds which have been widely used in recent years. Environmental mercury (Hg) concentrations have increased over the past 150 years, resulting in over 92% of the mercury body burden in higher trophic level species being of man-made origin (Dietz et al., 2013).

Adult killer whales from British and Irish coastal waters showed lower p,p’-DDE concentrations [ranging from 7 to 179 mg/kg lw], except one individual that presented a higher p,p’-DDE concentration of 567 mg/kg lw (McHugh et al ., 2007).

All these compounds may contribute to reproductive and immune failure or other health endpoints not included here, and raise concerns about the potential for other persistent contaminants to generate additional toxicological effects in long-lived, high–trophic level aquatic species. These results suggest a high placental transfer of pollutants from mother to foetus. Consequently, blubber and plasma PCB concentrations and calf mortality rates are both high in primiparous females (Schwacke et al ., 2002; Wells et al ., 2005).

The neonate analysed belonged to Ecotype I (a generalist feeder) and carried the mitochondrial haplotype 35 present in about 16% of the North Atlantic killer whales from or close to the North Sea (i.e., the UK, the Netherlands, Denmark) (Foote et al ., 2009; Reckendorf et al. , 2018). The relevance of this data becomes apparent in the UK West Coast Community, the UK's only resident orca population, which is currently composed of only eight individuals (each four males and females) and no calves have been reported over the last 19 years (Beck et al. , 2014).

Despite worldwide regulations, marine pollutants, including mercury, organochlorine pesticides and PCBs, persist in the environment and remain a severe concern for killer whale populations, placing calves at high risk due to the vertical mother-offspring pollutant-transfer resulting in a high toxicological burden of the neonates.

References:

Beck, S., Foote, A.D., Koetter, S., Harries, O., Mandleberg, L., Stevick, P.T., Whooley, P., Durban, J.W., 2014. Using opportunistic photoidentifications to detect a population decline of killer whales (Orcinus orca) in British and Irish waters. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 94, 1327–1333

Foote, A.D., Newton, J., Piertney, S.B., Willerslev, E., Gilbert, M.T.P., 2009. Ecological, morphological and genetic divergence of sympatric North Atlantic killer whale populations. Molecular Ecology 18, 5207–5217. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-294X.2009.04407.x

McHugh, B., Law, R.J., Allchin, C.R., Rogan, E., Murphy, S., Foley, M.B., Glynn, D., McGovern, E., 2007. Bioaccumulation and enantiomeric profiling of organochlorine pesticides and persistent organic pollutants in the killer whale (Orcinus orca) from British and Irish waters. Marine Pollution Bulletin 54, 1724–1731.

Schwacke, L.H., Voit, E.O., Hansen, L.J., Wells, R.S., Mitchum, G.B., Hohn, A.A., Fair, P.A., 2002. Probabilistic risk assessment of reproductive effects of polychlorinated biphenyls on bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) from the Southeast United States Coast. Environmental Toxicology And Chemistry / SETAC 21, 2752–2764

Wells, R.S., Tornero, V., Borrell, A., Aguilar, A., Rowles, T.K., Rhinehart, H.L., Hofmann, S., Jarman, W.M., Hohn, A.A., Sweeney, J.C., 2005. Integrating life-history and reproductive success data to examine potential relationships with organochlorine compounds for bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) in Sarasota Bay, Florida. Science of the Total Environment 349, 106–119.

Russian Navy Trained Dolphins Deployed in Crimea

Fri, 29 Apr 2022 12:33:26 GMT

Russian Navy Trained Dolphins Deployed in Crimea

ORCA SciComm Team | 29th April 2022

Russian Navy Trained Dolphins may have been deployed in Crimea, with two sea pens having been spotted at one of their bases in satellite imagery since the start of the Ukraine invasion in February, according to the US Naval Institute.

The Sevastopol harbour naval base located in the Black Sea at the southern tip of Crimea, was seized by Russian Military forces since 2014, and is an important strategic location, with many of the Russian Navy ships anchored there. While the Russian ships are out of range of missiles, they are potentially vulnerable to undersea attacks.

In the early 1990's, the Ukraine also had a navy dolphin training program at an aquarium near Sevastopol. Both the US and the Soviet Union developed the use of dolphins whose echolocation capabilities can allow them to detect underwater objects such as mines during the Cold War. The US alone has spent at least $28 million maintaining its own troops of marine mammals, including sea lions and dolphins to join in on warfare. The Sevastopol program was restarted in 2012 by the Ukrainian navy, but the dolphins became part of the Russian army after the 2014 invasion of Crimea, and Moscow has since expanded the scheme.

In 2016, the Russian navy announced plans to buy five more dolphins, launching a bidding process for a 1.75m ruble contract to deliver dolphins to the Sevastopol base by the end of the summer. It is uncertain if the dolphins in Sevastopol harbour sea pens today are the same ones that came out of this contract.

The Russian navy also used dolphins at its naval base in Tartus, during the Syrian War.

At least 9 navy trained bottlenose dolphins were flown by the U.S. Navy to the Persian Gulf during the conflict in Iraq to help mark mines and clear waterways for shipments of humanitarian aid. Other frontline flippers include California sea-lions which were deployed for "Mission Operation Enduring Freedom" in continuation of the War in Afghanistan. Sea lions were used as 'shallow water detection systems', to locate suspicious underwater objects. The U.S. and Russian navy train dolphins to locate, detect and mark mines so that they can be deactivated safely before they damage or sink military or civilian vessels. The navy dolphins can also detect and mark enemy swimmers.

Current counter-mine and obstacle avoidance technology is inadequate, and limits the Navy's capability to conduct shallow water (SW) and very shallow water (VSW) searches for mines in support of beach assaults by Marine Corps forces. Marine mammal systems (MMS) are albeit an unusual, yet effective solution to current problems of mine and obstacle hunting. In the US Navy Mine Warfare Plan for 1994-1995 Marine Mammal Systems are explicitly identified as the Navy's only means of countering buried mines and the best means for dealing with close-tethered mines. The dolphins in these systems possess a biological sonar specifically adapted for their shallow and very shallow water habitat. Research has demonstrated that the dolphin biosonar outperforms any current hardware system available.

In 2019, a beluga whale believed to be trained by the Russian Navy was sighted off the coast of Norway! Now Putin has been seen to use dolphins sonar and detection capabilities again since the start of the Ukraine invasion.

References:

Bionic kitty, pigeon alarms, and the dolphins of war Auer, Catherine . Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists ; Chicago Vol. 59, Iss. 4,

Patrick W. Moore "Mine-hunting dolphins of the Navy", Proc. SPIE 3079, Detection and Remediation Technologies for Mines and Minelike Targets II, (22 July 1997); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.280845

Female Killer Whales face greater impact from noise pollution

Tue, 15 Mar 2022 23:16:35 GMT

FEMALE KILLER WHALES FACE GREATER IMPACT FROM NOISE POLLUTION

Danielle Brennan | Communications Officer | 15th March 2022

Recent research has shed further light on the need to effectively manage the distance of vessels to cetaceans, with a focus on killer whales ( Orcinus orca ). Interestingly, it was found that females displayed greater negative impacts from disturbance from whale watching vessels. C onsidering the long-lived nature of whales, this is concerning, but particularly the importance of females in their reproductive role in killer whale populations, to ensure the future persistence of the species. Nevertheless, noise pollution is still highly problematic to the existence of males, also having negative impacts to their hunting and foraging behaviours. Activities like whale watching and commercial shipping among others, which are frequent in coastal regions with large human populations, all play a role through the release of noise pollution throughout their voyages.

Cetaceans use sound for survival on a continuous basis, including for foraging for prey, communication and navigation. Killer whales have been categorised into ecotypes, dependent on genetics, acoustic behaviour, appearance and foraging behaviour. In the North-Pacific ‘resident’ ecotypes, forage mainly on chinook salmon, are exceptionally dependent on their use of echolocation.

Echolocation can be defined as the production of repetitive clicks, increasing in production rate on close approach of their prey. These rapid clicks have been described as a "buzzes', and are used during the striking period of the hunt. However, noise pollution from the impact of noise pollution from introduced man-made sounds from vessels, including the use of echo-sounders, can impact the behaviour of echolocation production.

This is a growing concern among the scientific community as the northern resident killer whales have been classified as critically endangered, and may be particularly vulnerable to noise pollution. Technological advances in recent years have enabled the use of satellite tags that are attached temporally to the whale, a method referred to as ‘bio-logging instruments’ to help scientists determine the potential impact of noise pollution to foraging killer whales.

A recent study, by Holt et al ., (2021), used temporary suction-cup bio-logging instruments, known as "Dtags" to determine if fewer dives were made by whales in attempt to catch prey when vessels were within a 366m. The Dtag contained two hydrophones, pressure, temperature, accelerometer and magnetometer sensors. Researchers identified individual animals with known sex and age from established photo-identification catalogues and found that both the gender and distance from the vessels had a large influence on the likelihood of orcas changing behaviour. In addition, as vessel speed increased, the probability of killer whales capturing prey, were shown to be reduced. Females in particular are thought to have a different respiratory state when searching for food in the proximity of nearby vessels. This has been associated with their lower body mass, compared to males, thought to increase the energetic requirements needed for diving. Additionally, female killer whales must provision and rear their young, which may also play a role in the female’s behaviour difference compared to males. Females appeared to hunt closer to the shore, unlike the males who seem to not have a preference. This can result in the decision of the female to stop hunting altogether when vessels are present. This 'ripple effect' of consequences may result in malnutrition and is of growing concern, given the potential increase and increase in vessel usage in the area.

Reference:

Holt, Tennessen, J. B., Hanson, M. B., Emmons, C. K., Giles, D. A., Hogan, J. T., & Ford, M. J. (2021). Vessels and their sounds reduce prey capture effort by endangered killer whales ( Orcinus orca ). Marine Environmental Research, 170, 105429. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marenvres.2021.105429

A solitary common dolphin can speak porpoise language!

Tue, 01 Mar 2022 19:09:51 GMT

A solitary common dolphin can speak porpoise language!

ORCA SciComm Team | 1st of March 2022

A new paper published in “ Bioacoustics - The International Journal of animal sound and its Recording ” has detailed how a solitary common dolphin in Scotland has learned to speak porpoise language!

Cetaceans are highly mobile marine mammal species whose behavior is often difficult to study. Bioacoustics research provides a unique opportunity for scientists to study animals with unpredictable behavior and movements, which are often difficult to examine. In particular, intraspecific interactions often depend on being at the right place at the right time.

In the Firth of Clyde, “Kylie” - a solitary common dolphin ( Delphinus delphis ) spends most of her time around navigational buoys, where she has been seen interacting with harbour porpoise ( Phocoena phocoena ). Kylie has not been observed with other common dolphins, despite there being an abundance of common dolphins in Scottish waters as they do not often enter the Firth of Clyde.

In 2016 and 2017, researchers opportunistically recorded interactions of Kylie with harbour porpoise. Harbour porpoises produce one type of sound which is characterized by high-frequency stereotyped calls, in comparison to common dolphins which have a diverse vocal repertoire including producing whistles, echolocation and burst pulse sounds.

Harbour porpoise clicks are polycycllic, meaning the waveform which can be visualized by bio-acousticians using specialist software have 8 to 15 peaks, with a duration of 50 to 175 μs. Harbour porpoise clicks are narrow-band calls with energy concentrated between 100 - 150 kHz and vary depending on the reason for communication. Harbour porpoises vary the pattern in the production rate of clicks during differing behavioral states i.e. - navigation (low production rate of <100 clicks per secons) and prey capture (over 100 clicks and up to 1000 clicks per second), known as a buzz.

Common dolphin whistles on the other hand, are known as oligocyclic (less than 5 peaks per waveform) of short duration (50 μs) with a peak frequency of 23 to 67 kHz, but can reach between 100 - 150 kHz.

Some odontocete species produce narrow-band high frequency (NBHF) clicks including harbour porpoise and Kogia species. Vocal learning and imitation have been reported for some cetaceans species, including bottlenose dolphins ( Tursiops truncatus ) trained to imitate artificial sounds, and killer whales ( Orcinus orca ) trained to imitate human sounds in captivity, however, imitation has rarely been observed in the wild. Killer whales have been shown to imitate sounds described as “barks” produced by California sea lion ( Zalophus californianus ) calls in the wild (Foote, et al., 2008).

During intra-specific interactions between Kylie and harbour porpoise, the dolphin produced narrow band high frequency (NBHF) clicks, an ability previously unreported in common dolphins. Kylie has interacted with porpoises in the Firth of Clyde for at least 14 years. During this time the dolphin has been exposed to porpoise vocalizations which appear to have facilitated production learning.

Reference:

Cosentino, M., Nairn, D., Coscarella, M., Jackson J & Windmill, J., (2022). Acoustic behaviour of a wild solitary common dolphin who interacts with harbour porpoise. Bioacoustics.

Iceland to end whaling in 2024 with drop in demand for whale meat

Fri, 04 Feb 2022 09:01:42 GMT

Iceland to end whaling in 2024 with drop in demand for whale meat.

ORCA SciComm Team | 4th February 2022

Iceland have announced an end to commercial whale hunts in 2024, after a government minister commented there was "little justification for the practice". Whaling in Iceland is no longer profitable, due to a decrease in the consumption of whale meat and since Japan re-commenced whaling operations after a three decade hiatus in 2019.

With little economic incentive remaining, the Icelandic government have announced a plan to end the unjust practice of commercial whale hunts.

In 2003, Iceland resumed commercial whaling, despite the 1986 IWC moratorium to ban whale hunts around the world. Today, as Iceland announces a plan to end commercial whaling, they remain to be killed for meat only in the Faroe Islands, Norway & Japan.

In Iceland's last full commercial season in 2018, 146 fin whales were slaughtered. Fin whales are the second largest animal on Earth after the blue whale! Iceland's current quotas for 2019 - 2023 are set at 209 fin whales, and 217 minke whales, the smallest baleen whale.

FIN WHALE ( Balaenoptera physalus)

Photo: Aerial drone image of fin whale ( Balaenoptera physalus ) taken off the south coast of Cork, Ireland in August 2020 by Emer Keaveney/ ORCA IRELAND.

Over the last three years, Iceland has only killed one whale - a minke whale, which caused global condemnation of Iceland's policy on whaling. In comparison, Norway alone killed over 1,200 minke whales in 2021.

Following the withdrawal of Japan from the IWC (International Whaling Commission) in 2019, the demand for Icelandic whale meat has dramatically dropped. Whale hunts in Iceland are no longer economically feasible, becoming too expensive following the implementation of measures to protect marine habitats such as the extension of no fishing coastal zones. In addition, due to strict health & safety requirements, exports and imports have become more difficult.

Good news for whales in Icelandic waters, however, hunts will continue in Norwegian waters, and unfortunately, #WhalesDontHaveBorders

Norways demand for meat is also dwindling - Read our Blog from 2020 Here: Quota of 1,300 Minke whales to be Slaughtered!

WE NEED YOUR HELP! Please SIGN THE PETITION!

ORCA Ireland have been petitioning to END WHALING IN NORWAY and have collected over 8, 900 signatures to bring forth to the EU Commission!

LIKE, COMMENT & SHARE if you want to see an end to commercial whale hunts in the EU!!!

BREAKING: Russian Military Tests Threaten Whales in Irish waters

Tue, 25 Jan 2022 01:39:36 GMT

RUSSIAN MILITARY TESTS THREATEN WHALES IN IRISH WATERS

ORCA SciComm Team | 25th of January 2022

Concerns in relation to the potential threat to marine wildlife from noise pollution have been raised among scientists, NGO's and government agencies, as Russia deploys 140 warships and about 10,000 sailors around the world to take part in naval exercises expected to last several weeks. A Notice by the Irish Aviation Authority (IAA) on the 21st of January announced the presence of Russian Navy submarines in Irish waters located approx. 240km off the south coast of Ireland. The reason for their presence is to conduct a series of underwater and airborne artillery tests which threaten some of the most endangered whale species on the planet.

Russia has announced its navy will stage an expansive set of hypersonic and missile exercises from the Pacific to the Atlantic involving all of its fleets as a show of strength amid a rise in military tensions with the West. The missile tests will take place in the first week of February off the coast of Cork, but are also planned in the Mediterranean, the North Sea, the Sea of Okhotsk, the Atlantic and the Pacific Ocean from the end of January to the end of February.

The Department of Transport has advised that “management of Irish Air Traffic Control Airspace is a matter for the Irish Aviation Authority (IAA)”, who have stated that “all civilian aircraft will be routed away from the area” and has confirmed that a warning, known as a Notice to Air Missions (NOTAM), will be issued to commercial aviation.

Ireland’s minister for Foreign Affairs, Simon Coveny has raised the issue with the Russian ambassador to Ireland Yuri Filatov and is recommending that citizens avoid any unnecessary travel to the country at this time.

The Ocean Research & Conservation Association of Ireland (ORCA Ireland), has also created an Online Petition , which began in 2018, to send to relevant government agencies, seeking to BAN all Military Sonar Activities in Irish waters, and we seek to gain knowledge the types of underwater testing being conducted in Irish waters, so all necessary mitigation measures be put in place to ensure vulnerable deep diving cetacean species are protected.

The location of the Russian naval exercises are taking place approximately 240km off the south west coast of Ireland within the EEZ (Exclusive Economic Zone) 200 nm limit. According to the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), under international law, states are entitled to carry out naval exercises in another states EEZ.

A country has no legal sovereignty over its EEZ, but it does have exclusive rights to exploit the resources contained within it. Under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), cetaceans may be considered a “ marine living resource ” and it explicitly notes migratory marine mammal conservation, stating that member states must “ cooperate to conserve, manage, and study such marine mammals (and other migratory species) in the EEZ and the high seas ”.

Furthermore, member states should “ cooperate with a view to the conservation of marine mammals and in the case of cetaceans shall in particular work for their conservation, management and stud y”.

The potential risks sonar poses to cetaceans received international attention with a mass stranding of deep diving offshore Cuvier's beaked whales ( Ziphius cavirostris ), Northen bottlenose whales ( Hyperoodon ampullatus ) and Sperm whales ( Physeter macrocephalus ) across the north and west coasts of Ireland, in October 2018. Following this unusual mortality event (UME), ORCA Ireland expressed concerns about the threats posed to cetacean populations by active sonar and highlighted cetacean mortalities and sonar-related stranding events in other parts of the world.

There is extensive scientific literature detailing direct and indirect links to chronic exposure to military sonar, which may elicit avoidance behaviour, to more severe impacts such as mortality. Deep diving cetacean species are more vulnerable to the impacts of active military sonar, as they spend the majority of their time at great depths and depend heavily on their own bio-sonar for foraging, communication and navigation. Beaked whales can dive to depths of greater than 2000 meters, but when exposed to acute noise pollution, such as the pulses from active sonar testing, they may ascend too rapidly, causing gas bubble lesions to form in their blood vessels and get "decompression sickness", also known as "divers disease" or the "bends".

In more severe cases, permenant and temporary hearing damage may lead to errors in navigation and result in mass strandings, particularly of highly social species such as long-finned pilot whale ( Globicephala melas ).

Please join us in our efforts to BAN MILITARY SONAR IN IRISH WATERS!!!

Sign the petition below and we will add your signature to the list of ocean warriors that are trying to protect Irish oceans from the harmful impacts of noise pollution.

Shell Oil & Gas Seismic Surveys Threaten Whales off Africa

Sat, 11 Dec 2021 14:16:00 GMT

Shell Oil & Gas Seismic Surveys Threaten Whales off South Africa

ORCA SCI-COMM TEAM | 11th of December 2021

Across the globe there is public outrage due to the planned seismic surveys to search for oil and gas deposits off South Africa's Wild Coast by energy company Shell. Environmental NGO's, Human Rights Organisations and local fishing communities are trying to stop the seismic surveys through litigation, due to the harmful impact seismic surveys can have on marine wildlife. South Africa is home to 37 species of whales and dolphins, but these anthropogenic activities threaten the survival of wild whales off Africa's south coast. Let's dive deeper to investigate what seismic surveys are and how they can harm whales!

What are Seismic Surveys?

For the last 50 years, seismology has been used in both terrestrial and offshore maritime mineral exploitation. Seismic surveys employ a simple methodology; to measure the time it takes for a compression wave ('sound') to travel through solid material, strike a reflecting surface and return to a recorder to determine the orientation and thickness of layer hidden below the Earth's surface. Seismic surveys use sound pressure waves to detect oil or gas deposits for extraction i.e. drilling Test Welds.

Offshore seismic surveys use an array of airguns towed on a cable behind a ship to blast loud sound pulses, which travel through the water and into the ocean floor. The sound wave is extremely loud to human ears, 100,000 times louder than a jet engine, and can be heard from up to 3,000 km distance. However, as the seismic blast is far lower in amplitude than an earthquake , the pulse from the explosion in the airgun is not sufficient enough to cause any physical damage to faults or ocean floor structures, therefore, it is considered "geologically safe".

Seismic Surveys Threaten Marine Wildlife:

'Royal Dutch Shell' will spend the next several months searching for deep-sea oil and gas reserves off the coastline in South Africa. This news comes with huge backlash from environmentalists and advocates around the world due to the potential impact of big underwater explosions that will continue to contribute to the climate crisis and will disrupt marine life, having devastating impacts on the livelihoods of local fishing communities and the precious ecosystems off the coast of South Africa. The surveying began on December 1st 2021, off the Eastern Cape’s virtually untouched Wild Coast, during whale season (June - December), when whales mate and rear their calves.

Seismic surveys are not uncommon on the South Africa coast, however, with more growing awareness of issues such as biodiversity loss and climate change, this particular survey planned has sparked major outcry. The Wild Coast of South Africa hosts unique and diverse marine biodiversity, and is a valued and especially rich part of African Heritage. Exploitation and degradation of the marine environment to discover new fossil fuel sources are inconsistent with global obligations to stay within planetary boundaries for a sustainable future. In fact, exploration for oil & gas are in opposition with the promises made by the South African Government during the 2021 United Nationals Climate Change Conference (COP26).

What are the Impacts of Seismic Surveys?

Seismic surveys and subsequent oil and gas extraction (drilling), are generally carried out along continental shelf slopes, where oil reserves are easier, and cheaper to access. Continental shelf slopes, however, tend to be highly productive marine ecosystems that provide habitat for a range of marine fishes, mammals, sea turtles, seabirds and other marine wildlife.

Every organism in the marine environment is affected by noise pollution; from plankton, which forms the base of the food web in the marine environment in the form of microscopic plants (phytoplankton) and animals (zooplankton), to large whales. Zooplankton can be severely affected by noise pollution and blasting of seismic airguns can result in large scale die off's of zooplankton.

The leatherback sea turtle ( Dermochelys coriacea ), is a critically endangered species that is particularly vulnerable to the impacts of seismic surveys off the south African coast. Leatherback sea-turtles frequent the waters off the Agulhas Front, a 6200 km2 Marine Protected Area (MPA) that was proclaimed in 2019 and which is the farthest offshore of all MPAs and sustains a wide variety of marine life. The area is a key foraging habitat for the leatherback sea-turtle, within an Ecologically and Biologically Significant Area (EBSA) that is recognised for its role in the life history of tuna and seabirds.

Whales and dolphins who rely heavily on sound to communicate, navigate and hunt prey are particularly vulnerable to acute and chronic noise pollution from seismic surveys, with dominant frequencies of seismic airguns being typically below 100 Hz, masking communication sound signals of large baleen whales, who vocalise in the range of 10 Hz- 1 kHz). The use of high frequency sonar mapping during seismic surveys has been linked to the mass strandings of deep-diving toothed whales. For example, in Madagascar, 100 melon-headed whales mass stranded due to sonar interference with their echolocation, likely when the whales were at depth, causing them to surface extremely quickly and gas bubble lesions to form in their bloodstream, resulting in a phenomena known as "the bends", or decompression sickness.

What is an MPA?

The IUCN defines an MPAs as'

"A clearly defined geographical space, recognised, dedicated, and managed, through legal or other effective means, to achieve the long-term conservation of nature with associated ecosystem services and cultural values".

Global estimates of how much of the ocean is protected range between 1 to 7% as there are many types of protected areas and variable governments and organisations definitions of protection. Despite these differences, countries agree that more ocean protection is needed.

Mitigation measures are to be deployed during seismic operations in South Africa’s petroleum industry, including the National Environmental Management Act (Nema) regulations that required a 2 km buffer zone from marine protected areas. Mineral Resources and Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe said; " South Africa imposed a 5 km buffer restriction to licensees ", in defence of South Africa’s right to capitalise on opportunities in its natural resources, including oil and gas amid the push back against Shell’s seismic survey off the Wild Coast.

Shell’s oil and gas exploration on South Africa's Wild Coast will be destructive for people and nature. We need your help to try and stop it! Join a global movement and sign the petition to urge Gwede Mantashe, Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy to immediately STOP Shell from conducting a seismic survey in this area NOW.

How To Create a Sustainable Wardrobe!

Thu, 09 Dec 2021 16:21:05 GMT

How to Create a Sustainable Wardrobe!

ORCA SciComm Team - 9th December '21

The idea of creating a sustainable or ethical wardrobe from scratch is, without a doubt a challenging task. You may not be able to wear the brands you are used to, limiting your choices in terms of trends, not to mention having to spend a little more than you would normally. All of these are valid concerns, but creating a sustainable wardrobe isn't as hard as you may think. Read on to find out tips and tricks to help you transition from a "fast fashion" foe to a "slow fashion" soul sista!

Here are 10 Tips for a Sustainable Wardrobe:

The 30 Wears Test: Will you wear the clothing item a minimum of 30 times? Try to avoid purchasing items to wear for just one occasion and instead invest in clothing with more longevity that you can wear again and again!
Get Informed: Research brands and look for evidence as to why they are sustainable. Do they lessen the impact of production practices by continually reviewing their processes and making the necessary changes to become carbon neutral? What materials are they using? Are they reducing their use of plastic?, or are they contributing to the problem of debris and litter in our oceans through micro-plastics and micro-fibres that contain harmful toxins? What is their supply chain like and where do they source their materials? Are their operations ethical and are their staff treated well?
Change Your Attitude: Change your attitude towards shopping by realising that every item that you purchase has had a substantial carbon footprint attached to its manufacturing, but the amount of new energy needed to produce vintage clothing is zero. The global footprint of fast fashion includes the 132 m metric tonnes of coal used annually through the production of new fibres, dyeing and bleaching of garments and the 6-9 trillion litres of water used by the industry.
Circular Fashion : ORCA Ireland encourages our members to avail of our online social media groups that enable us to use circular fashion through rental schemes for kids clothes. Given that 300,000 tonnes of unwanted clothes are binned, not recycled every year, there is an opportunity in sharing our wardrobes and contributing to the circular economy as a step towards a more sustainable future.
Buy Trans-seasonal clothes: Only buy items that you know are going to work for you all year round. That's why ORCA's garments include T-shirts and Hoodies, so you can be cozy and comfortable no matter what the season. Always use a reusable facemask.
Donate unwanted clothes: Giving your unwanted clothes to good-will for a good cause will not only be good for the people that need them, but will help them be more sustainable by using your unwanted garments, rather than buying something new. A great way to do this is to have a one in - one out policy - live by the mantra that when you buy something new, you will donate something.
Look after your clothes: Look after your clothes so they last longer. Buy high quality items as they will last longer and you are more likely to treat them carefully because they were more expensive. Invest in a handheld or standing steamer for your clothes - an efficient and gentle alternative to an iron. It leaves your clothes smooth, fresh and wrinkle free. The hot steam also reduces bad smells, kills bacteria and removes all signs of the garment being worn.
Repair clothing : Learn how to sew or find a good tailor to repair clothing when something rips or a heel breaks, you don't necessarily have to throw it away.
Quality or quantity: It's all about planning ad buying better quality items that are more sustainable. They may be more expensive than buying cheap high-street labels.
Change how you spend money and your perspective: Don't splurge on a. new dress you are only going to get one wear out of. Consider committing to buying only one item per month. After a few seasons, you will have a high quality, sustainable wardrobe you are proud of. Dressing sustainably doesn't mean you have to compromise on getting the latest trends. ORCA Ireland's sustainable ethos is at the heart of practicality, comfort and fashion.

Russian “Whale Jail” finally Abolished.

Sat, 04 Dec 2021 14:51:53 GMT

Russian “Whale Jail” finally Abolished.

ORCA SciComm Team | 3rd of December 2021

The incommodious confined pens in Russia’s infamous “Whale Jail” have finally been abolished to ensure marine mammals will not be held in these captive facilities in the future!

Russian cetacean holding pens dubbed the "whale jail".

In what has since been described as one of the worst illegal captive cases of cetaceans in history, which involved four Russian companies that supply marine mammals to aquariums almost 100 beluga whales and orcas were hunted and wild caught over the course of several months in the summer of 2018.

The animals were held captive in holding pens in Srednyaya Bay, in Russia’s far east destined to be sold to marine parks for “educational purposes” in China. Many NGO’s including ORCA Ireland and activists around the world campaigned to release the whales back into the wild and were outraged upon the release of aerial images of whales being held captive in pens that were completely iced-over.

From June to November 2019, the Russian Government stepped in due to international criticism and released the whales back into the wild. The Russian Institute of Fisheries and Oceanography, released 8 animals including 6 beluga whales and 2 orca’s back into the Sea of Okhotsk, roughly 1,100 miles away, where they were originally captured. In total it took four months to move all of the animals, which were released in small groups.

A view of the holding facility, known as "whale jail", in Srednyaya Bay as employees prepare to load three killer whales into special tanks on trucks for the transportation to the release site on the Sea of Okhotsk coast, Russia, July 11, 2019. (AFP Photo).

At the time, President Vladimir Putin personally monitored the beginning of the transport operation and according to BBC Translation commented that;

“ The killer whales alone- as far as I know - are worth around $100 million, when it's big money, problems are always hard to solve. Thank God things have started moving .”

While ORCA Ireland welcomes the great news that the “Whale Jail” has been shut down and now, finally dismantled, many captive facilities around the world are still in operation and the Ban on capturing wild cetaceans in Russian waters is only in place until 2023. ORCA Ireland, among many other NGO’s around the world, are calling on Russia to instate a permanent ban on capturing marine mammals in Russian waters. While some western aquariums are scaling back on keeping cetaceans in captivity (Canada recently banned captivity altogether), others countries, like Spain and dolphinariums in China, with wild-caught animals are a booming business. There are now 78 marine mammal parks and 26 m In China, there are now 78 marine mammal parks and 26 more under development.

Please help ORCA Ireland and support our work to ban the captivity of cetaceans around the world. Become a member at www.orcaireland. org or purchase a “Captivity Is A Killer” Ladies and Men's T-shirts as seen below and tag us on social media #CaptivityIsAKiller #WhalesNeedToBeFree #ORCAIreland.

ORCA - Captivity Is A Killer - Ladies T-shirt for sale on www.orcaireland.org.

Support our work to end captivity of marine mammals around the world. Check out our T-shirts which are made with organic 100% sustainable cotton and renewable energy through-out the supply chain. Available in multiple colours and sizes from our online store.

Walrus Watch: A second Walrus seen in the U.K.?

Sat, 20 Nov 2021 15:21:29 GMT

WALRUS WATCH: A SECOND WALRUS SEEN IN THE U.K.?

ORCA SciComm Team | 20th November 2021.

This week a large walrus was spotted off the east coast of the U.K., but it's not Wally this time! A month after Wally returned to the Arctic, last to be seen in Iceland, a new Walrus has followed in his foreflippers. The Walrus was spotted on the Northumberland coastline, at Seahouses Harbour, about an hour from Newcastle on the 14th of November.

The new walrus was first observed by local tourists hauled out on ballast rocks, and images and videos were captured by Andrew Douglas, 49, who owns a tour boat company in the local area.

"Freya" - Images by Andrew Douglas / Serenity Boat Tours and Natural Newbiggin.

" If it was climate change, I dont know; whether it's just a fluke I dont know " - said Mr. Douglas in an interview with the Independant.co.uk.

Local wildlife enthusiasts tweeted with excitement and a steady stream of spectators went to check out the second walrus to travel into EU and U.K. waters this year. ORCA Ireland are asking that people please follow our SeaSafe Best Practices and to respect this wild animal and keep a safe distance of at least 100m so not to disturb her. "Freya"- just like "Wally", needs her space and rest to regain strength for what may be another long arduous journey home.

There is a real possibility that this walrus will too venture into Irish waters, just like Wally, and despite ORCA Ireland's campaign "Protect ALL Pinnipeds", Ireland still lacks the protection needed to ensure that causing disturbance to a Walrus is illegal under the Wildlife Act 1976 and its amendments. Please help us to ensure all Arctic vagrants are protected when they land on our shores.... Sign the Petition : Protect All Pinnipeds in Irish waters and let's prepare, rather than fail to prepare.

COP26: Climate Crises Challenge - What more can Ireland do?

Mon, 15 Nov 2021 11:28:37 GMT

COP26: Climate Crises Challenge - what more can Ireland do?

Sara Marolt | November 15th 2021.

As many may be aware, the UK just closed perhaps the most important climate summit to date; the 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) in Glasgow. The aim of this conference is for the global parties to work together to take action and accelerate goals of the Paris Agreement and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. However, amid the positive moves made during the two week conference, many pitfalls remain. Ahead of our Nation making decisions to limit the impacts of the climate breakdown, we must account for how we stack up globally. Does Ireland need to do more to contribute to our role to limit global climate change? The data is in, and the answer is yes! How do we move forward as a small island nation with a big goal? Read on to find out ORCA Ireland’s synopsis of what we still must achieve and fill out our quick questionnaire “ COP26: Climate Crises Challenge ” with ideas on how we can help Ireland’s ocean ahead of such grave challenges. A full report on the Conference and submissions to our Climate Crises Challenge

In 2015, COP21 took place in Paris, and it was in this conference that the parties had come to the unanimous decision to work together to keep global warming below 2 degrees and attempt to maintain this at 1.5 degrees. Consequently, this would mean the parties would collaborate to decrease the impacts of climate change, protecting the lives of people globally. This plan is known as the Paris Agreement and it was under this that the countries committed to setting out national plans on how each one would aid in reducing their national emission, formally known as the Nationally Determined Contributions. With a slight delay of one year, COP26 is now the opportunity for all countries to present their updated plans on how they will reduce their national emission. The conference will also set out new plans and goals for how each country may aid in decreasing the impact of global warming.

The aims of COP26 have been divided into 4 sections:

Secure global net zero by mid-century and keep 1.5 degrees within reach

To ensure this is successful, 4 further steps have been presented, including accelerating the phase-out of coal, restricting deforestation, speeding up the switch to electric vehicles and encouraging investment in renewables

2. Adapt to protect communities and natural habitats

Climate change has had a devastating impact on our global biodiversity, and therefore it is another aim of COP26 is to ensure that countries work together to protect and restore ecosystems as well as build defences, warning systems and resilient infrastructure/ agriculture to avoid loss of homes, livelihoods and even lives.

Mobilise finance

To ensure the first to goals will be possible, developed countries must also take a step further and follow up on their promise to mobilise at least $100bn in climate finance per year by 2020. All financial institutions internationally must play their part in their contribution to stopping the effects of global change.

Work together to deliver

The only way we will ever be able achieve these goals and beat the challenges of the current climate crisis is by working together through collaboration between governments, businesses, and civil society. It is up to all of us to take responsibility for our actions and be the change we want to see in the world. As the British naturalist David Attenborough stated in his speech at the conference, “We are, after all, the greatest problem solvers to have ever existed on Earth. If working apart, we are a force powerful enough to de-stabilize our planet. Surely working together, we are powerful enough to save it.”

KEY TAKE-HOME MESSAGES FROM THE CONFERENCE:

So what are the key take-home messages from the UN COP26 Conference and how can Ireland achieve more for a sustainable future? Check out the infographics below and let us know your thoughts in ORCA Ireland's COP16 Climate Crises Challenge.

The Ecological Frontier: A new species of a deep-sea beaked whale discovered in the Southern Hemisphere.

Wed, 03 Nov 2021 12:39:44 GMT

The Ecological Frontier: A new species of a deep-sea beaked whale discovered in the Southern Hemisphere.

ORCA SciComm Team | 3rd of November 2021.

Irish marine mammal experts were part of a discovery of a new whale species, named Ramari's beaked whale, the first cetacean to be named after an Indigenous woman. The new whale was named after Ramari Stewart, a Mātauranga Māori whale expert, while its scientific name, Mesoplodon eueu , refers to its indigenous roots in South Africa. The newly discovered species diverged from the previously described True’s beaked whale, a new study has revealed.

In 2011, a pregnant beaked whale stranded on the coast of New Zealand and was identified as a True's beaked whale, with her skeleton preserved at the Te Papa Tongarewa Museum in Wellington thanks to the help of Ramari Stewart, a Māori whale expert, who noticed something different about the specimen.

In a new paper in the Proceedings of the Royal Society of Publishing, researchers from around the world, including Prof. Emer Rogan from University College Cork (UCC) and colleagues used genomic and morphometric analysis to demonstrate evolutionary divergence between Ramari’s beaked whale ( M. eueu) and True's beaked whale ( M. mirus ) from the North Atlantic. Morphometric analyses of skulls of the two species also showed distinguishing characteristics. Genome sequencing of archival specimens and international collaborations allowed the divergence of two deep-diving species to be revealed. The study was led by Dr. Emma Carroll of the University of Aukland, who compared other samples of True’s beaked whales from both the Northern and Southern hemispheres and noticed the difference between skull shapes and genetics - two key indicators that these were in-fact different species.

Genomic analysis revealed a number of molecular characteristics that were found to be different in Ramari’s beaked whale in comparison to True’s beaked whale, based on a number of DNA markers, including mitochondrial mtDNA data which included sequences from the holotypes of both Ramari’s beaked whale and True’s beaked whale at all sequence lengths. At the full mitochondrial genome lengths, Ramari’s beaked whale was distinguished by 579 fixed differences that were significant from True’s beaked whale . Further nuclear DNA analysis; reduced representation sequencing with ddRAD showed that True's and Ramari's beaked whale were distinguished by 1909 fixed differences , across a dataset of 15,671 SNPs found between or within both species. Comparison of one whole nuclear genome each from True’s and Ramari’s beaked whales showed a level of nucleotide divergence of 0.28%.

Morphological characteristics were also examined, with Ramari’s being the larger (5.3 m) species of Mesoplodon differing from all other members of the genus except True’s , in having tusks positioned at the tip of the mandible. However, Ramari’s beaked whale also differs from other species such as True’s and Hector’s beaked whale in having smaller, less triangular tusks and from True’s beaked whale in having a relatively shorter rostrum with a wider base, a shorter mandibular symphysis, wider premaxillary sac fossae and crests, and a taller cranium.

Upon examination of external appearance between Ramari’s beaked whale and True’s beaked whale, they are difficult to distinguish, as both species are ”rotund mesoplodonts” with torpedo-shaped bodies that taper towards the tail and beak, with somewhat bulbous melons, and a straight short beak. Coloration patterns are generally grey with a dark eye patch, however, there may be specific coloration patterns linked with Ramari’s beaked whale, however, are yet to be conclusively described.

Up to 1.5 million species await discovery in the deep sea. This study highlights how detailed analysis of even a small number of samples can provide profound insights into the diversity and phylogeography of the species that occur in our vast oceans. As one of the few mammalian deep sea specialists, beaked whales may be among the most diverse cetacean lineages. The results of this ground-breaking work support the idea that the deep sea is more biodiverse than previously considered. Modeling of deep-sea biodiversity suggests peaks at 30–50° latitudes, coinciding with the ranges of Ramari’s beaked whale and True’s beaked whale. As the deep-sea habitats are influenced so strongly by temperature and primary productivity, the study used time-calibrated phylogenetic reconstruction of the mitogenomes to conclude an initial divergence between the two species circa. 2 million years ago and the slightly greater generic diversity and the vast range of Ramari’s beaked whale may indicate a southern origin. In addition to the discovery of the species in New Zealand, this whale has also been identified off Australia and South Africa.

Ramari’s beaked whale and its scientific name ( Mesoplodon eueu ) acknowledge links with Indigenous communities in South Africa and Aotearoa New Zealand. The chosen common name, “Ramari”, pays homage to Māori tohunga (expert) Ramari Stewart, who; “has kept traditional knowledge alive, contributed extensively to scientific research on marine mammals, and helped prepare the skeleton of the holotype”. It was also selected as it means a rare event in the Māori language, reflecting the elusive nature of most beaked whales.

Ramani’s beaked whale is the 5th beaked whale species to be discovered in the past few decades, bringing the total number of beaked whale species to 24, but as they occur in deep offshore waters, spend little time at the surface where they are difficult to distinguish from True’s beaked whale, this study confounds the importance of including genetic and morphometric analysis to gain further taxonomic insights of these elusive animals. This study also highlights the value of museum and tissue archives in documenting and understanding speciation.

Reference:

Carroll et al . (2021) Speciation in the deep: genomics and morphology reveal a new species of beaked whale Mesoplodon eueu . Proc. R. Soc. B 288: 20211213. https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2021.1213

*Halloween Special: Top 10 of Ireland's most scary sea creatures!

Sun, 31 Oct 2021 16:56:46 GMT

*Halloween Special: Top 10 of Ireland's most scary sea creatures.

ORCA SciComm Team | 31st October 2021

This Halloween ORCA Ireland embark on a journey to the deep, to show you some of the strangest and scariest animals found in the ocean, from the deep sea, to myths and legends, and species that are extant (i.e. living) and extinct! There are many terrifying and dangerous animals that live in our oceans, here to accompany us on this planet. Have you ever given a thought about the scary marine wildlife you may be able to find in Ireland? Let's dive in and explore what scary marine animals are found in Irish waters.

1.Extant | The Basking Shark:

The basking shark ( Cetorhinus maximus ) is the second largest living shark in the world after the whale shark. This megamouth sharks with well developed gill rakers can reach 7.9 meters in length, but no need to worry - this friendly, albeit prehistoric and rather unusual looking fish is no threat to people, feeding exclusively on plankton! This slow-moving shark species is a filter feeder. These sharks are active all year round, but as the name suggest love to bask in the sun, and can be found in large numbers off the Irish coast every year in spring/early summer. With a long lifetime of 50 years, it is likely you will encounter a basking shark at some stage if you hang out by the sea in Ireland.

2. Extant | The Conger Eel:

The European Conger eel ( Conger conger ) is the largest eel in the world - it grows up to 3m in length and weighs up to (or even more) than 110kg. Like all eels, it has elongated, but very strong body - dark (sometimes black) back, transitioning to white/grey on the belly; and it's skin is without scales. The snout is prominent and rounded, with plenty of teeth arranged in rows - sign of predator. Feeds mostly during night and rests during the day in some hole, cave or even hidden in the sand (smaller specimens). Nonetheless, if provided with opportunity, it will take bait even during the day. It reproduces only once in its life - mostly during winter. In 2013, a Galway based diver who was diving at 25 meters depth was attacked by a conger eel.

3. Myth | Selkie

Perhaps one of the most famous mythical sea creatures in Irish and Scottish legends are the Selkies, or Seal Folk. Selkies are mythological beings capable of therianthropy, changing from seal to human form by shedding their skin. In short, the legend of the selkie is Ireland’s concept of a mermaid, and for some reason, they are irresistible to ordinary humans, who are apt to fall in love with the seal people. Selkies are often sighted by those living in remote coastal areas. Legend has it that in order to come ashore, selkies must first shed their skin or tail. And if you manage to find that skin and hide it away, the seal person cannot return to the sea. Irish folklore is littered with tales of men and women (usually men) finding a selkie skin and hiding it, then marrying the selkie woman.

4. Myth | Salmon of knowledge

The Salmon of Knowledge (An Bradán Feasa), is a fish from the Fenian Cycle of Irish Mythology. According to Irish mythology the first thing to ever come into creation was a hazel tree, and in it's branches was contained all the knowledge of the universe. This hazel tree flourished over the Well of Wisdom (Tobar Segais) within which lived a great speckled salmon. The story goes that the salmon ate the hazel nuts which on one occasion fell into the well, thus acquiring all the wisdom of the universe. It was foretold that the first person to catch and eat the salmon would gain this knowledge and that a man by the name of Fionn would be the one to do so.

Nonetheless, many tried and failed, until a poet named Finnegas having spent seven years fishing the Boyne caught it. Finnegas instructed his apprentice, a young boy named Deimne Maol, to prepare it for him. Deimne burned his thumb bursting a blister on the cooking salmon. Instinctively he put his thumb into his mouth to ease the pain and in an instant acquired all its knowledge. When Dimne brought the cooked meal to Finnegas, his master saw something in the boy's eyes that had not been there before. When asked by Finnegas, Deimne denied that he had eaten of the fish. When pressed, he admitted his accidental taste. What the old poet hadn't known was that Deimne had another name, given to him by his mother - Fionn, meaning fair haired one. It was this incredible knowledge and wisdom gained from the Salmon of Knowledge that allowed Fionn mac Cumhaill to become the leader of the Fianna, the famed heroes of Irish myth. He was killed at Áth Brea or Ford of Brea on the Boyne.

5. Extinct | Ammonite

With squid-like tentacles extending from their distinctive multi-chambered shells, the extinct marine predators known as ammonites were once among the most successful and diverse animals on Earth. In Ireland ammonite-bearing rocks from the Jurassic (200 to 145 million years ago) and Cretaceous (145 to 65 million years ago) periods, are found only in the north-east, mostly in counties Antrim and Derry. Even here no trace survives of any Middle Jurassic, Upper Jurassic or Lower Cretaceous rocks. The Jurassic is represented here by the Waterloo Mudstone Formation, or Lias Clay, which represents only the lower part of the Lower Jurassic (from about 200 to 190 million years ago). Ammonites are common and conspicuous fossils in many places where these clays are exposed.

6. Extinct | Tetrapod

Tetrapods (four-limbed animals) also roamed around Ireland 325-million years ago, like a recent discovery from Doolin, Co Clare. Here, two tiny bones of an ancient tetrapod were found by Dr. Eamon Doyle, geologist with the Burren and Cliffs of Moher, Burren Geopark, and fossil vertebrate researcher Aodhan O'Gogain from Trinity College Dublin. These are the oldest known tetrapod bones in Ireland.

7. Extant | Portuguese Man-War

The Portuguese man o' war ( Physalia physalis ), also known as the man-of-war, bluebottle, or blue bottle jellyfish, is one of the most venomous marine hydrozoans found in the Atlantic Ocean and the Indian Ocean. As one of the most venomous marine species in Ireland. The Portuguese Man o’ War may look like a bloated jellyfish, but it’s actually a siphonophore —a bizarre group of animals that consist of colonies made up of dozens, hundreds, or even thousands of genetically-identical individual creatures. A siphonophore starts out as a fertilised egg. As it develops, it starts "budding" into distinct structures and organisms. These tiny organisms—called polyps or zooids—can’t survive on their own, so they merge together into a tentacled mass. They must cooperate as one in order to do things like travel and catch food.

8. Extant | Atlantic star gazer

Meet the "meanest fish in creation", the electric, venomous stargazer fish - and now the latest addition to your nightmares – this creepy looking fish lives in shallow waters and is most commonly found in the Mediterranean Sea, as well as the Atlantic Ocean. Stargazer fish are armed with a wide range of weapons and defence mechanisms and a worm-like appendage on its lower lip, which it uses to attract prey before vacuuming it up with its large mouth. Stargazers consume a variety of fish and other marine creatures like crabs – if they fall for the bait and get close enough.

9. Extant | Common skate

The largest species of skate in the world, the common skate is also one of Europes largest fish species. Flapper skate can reach up to 3m in length with a wingspan of 2m and weigh over 100kg! Today the Common Skate taxonomy consists of the Blue Skate ( Dipturus batis ) and Flapper Skate ( Dipturus intermedius ). The Blue Skate is smaller in size with a more southernly range. While the Flapper Skate is much larger and generally found further north. Common skate live on sandy or muddy seabeds, at depths of 600m. They forage on crustaceans with their powerful jaws, and have the speed and manoeuvrability to catch pelagic species such as mackerel too. The scariest thing about common skate is that these species are listed as Critically Endangered. Once widespread across large parts of the Northeast Atlantic, flapper skate are now locally extinct from much of their former range. This was predominantly due to unsustainable fishing throughout the 19th and 20th Centuries. Despite this, they can still be found from Iceland, Norway, and the northern North Sea around to the western British Isles and Celtic Sea.

10. Extant | Short-fin mako shark

The shortfin mako shark is the deadliest fish in the sea. Every part of these apex predators is finely tuned for hunting. They can swim faster, farther, and more relentlessly than any other shark in the ocean. Mako's specialise in hunting other big game species. In short, they’re the oceans’ ultimate predators. Mako sharks come from the same family as porbeagle sharks and great whites. What sets mako's apart from other sharks is the fact that they’re warm-blooded. Makos heat up their blood in their core, red muscle. The warm blood then pumps throughout their body, keeping them warmer than the surround environment. This means makos can work their muscles harder and faster, speeding up their digestion, giving them more energy for the day’s hunt. Mako's brains and eyes are also fed by a steady supply of warm blood, keeps their minds and their eyesight sharp even in deep, near-freezing water. Combining these characteristics you get a strong, fast hunter that can adapt to any environment.

Norway killed more minke whales in 2021 than in the last 5 years!

Tue, 05 Oct 2021 08:47:15 GMT

NORWAY KILLED MORE MINKE WHALES IN 2021 THAN IN THE LAST 5 YEARS!

SARA MAROLT | 05 October 2021

The most recent whale hunting season in Norway has resulted in the slaughter of over 570 minke whales, the highest number of minke whales killed since 2016, despite the growing global concern for climate, sustainability and ethics, particularly among younger generations.

Image by Walfang Norwegen 04_C_MichaelTenten-IMMCS.WDC.

Just weeks after the largest killing of dolphins in Faroe Islands, following the end of the Norwegian whale hunting season on September 27th, the news broke that 575 minke whales ( Balaenoptera acutorostrata ) were killed this year in Norway. Fourteen vessels participated in the hunts this year, according to the Norwegian Fisherman's Sales Organisation. Norway also set a higher quota this year than previous years (Table 1).

More whales were killed this year, despite continued opposition to the un-sustainable and unethical tradition by environmental NGO's, animal rights activists, climate activists and scientists from across the globe. Read more about Norway's whaling practices and their governments stance here .

With the introduction of the International Whaling Commission (IWC) resulting in the moratorium on commercial whaling in many countries around the world, we have seen a slow increase in whale populations such as the humpback whale ( Megaptera novaengliae) . However, with a rapidly changing world, cetaceans in Ireland and the greater North Atlantic, now face new dangers including climate change.

Deep diving and migration patterns demonstrated by whales largely influences marine ecosystem processes. New climate change concerns pose an immense threat to vital ecological functions which are regulated and maintained by the presence of whales in our oceans.

SIGN THE PETITION TO STOP WHALE HUNTING IN NORWAY NOW!!!!

Climate change now poses another new threat to the stability of the cetacean’s ecosystem. Studies performed in The Gulf of St Lawrence in Quebec, Canada have demonstrated that the whale populations in the northern hemisphere have been unable to recover as quickly as those found in the southern hemisphere. Further investigation has established that even with the new whaling legislations introduced over the last few decades, populations such as that found in North Atlantic have shown a significant drop in the number of calves over the last 15 years.

Humpback whale, mother & calf. Image by Guille Pozzi.

Previous research has demonstrated that baleen whales would be able to display resilience to climate change by adapting their migration patterns and timings. This would allow the predators to respond to changes in their environments and change their location according to prey abundance. However, several studies have now suggested this migrating capability will not be enough to maintain their reproductive success. These predators will be unable to adapt to the rapid change in their ecosystems at the same rate as climate change is causing these environmental variations.

A decline in whale species would greatly impact tourism on the Irish coasts, however, a decrease in the cetaceans found in the Irish waters would also have a great impact on the wider marine environment. Read more about the Farmers of the Ocean: Whale Poo and how it keeps our oceans healthy here .

Solitary dolphin "Nick" struck by boat in Cork Harbour.

Thu, 16 Sep 2021 12:26:18 GMT

SOLITARY DOLPHIN "NICK" STRUCK BY BOAT IN CORK HARBOUR!

ORCA SciComm Team | 16th of September 2021.

A solitary dolphin identified as “Nick”, who has been traveling back and forth between Ireland’s southeast coast and the west coast of the United Kingdom since mid-summer has been found dead stranded with injuries consistent with a boat strike in Cork Harbour, Ireland.

"Nick"s Story:

“Nick” a solitary bottlenose dolphin was first spotted in the Isles of Scilly, Wales in June 2020, before being sighted back in Ireland, and later seen again in the U.K. in August, interacting with boats off Cornwall, and venturing the Helford Estuary, Mounts Bay, and St. Ives Bay. According to the British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR) , during his stay in the waters off Cornwall, “Nick” was observed to have a characteristic scar on his rostrum (beak) that was frequently mistaken for plastic but was likely caused by an entanglement that he had previously survived.

Back in Ireland:

On the 3rd of September, ORCA Ireland received a report to the Observers App from Alex Denby, of a solitary bottlenose dolphin up the River Lee by Kennedy Quay in Cork City, hanging around and following boats closely. His report included that the dolphin was also seen the day before feeding but appeared sluggish.

Boat Strike:

On the 11th of September, Frances Gallagher was made aware of a dolphin that had been stranded in Cork Harbour, however could not access the carcass easily due to the tide and inaccessible location of the dolphin. On the 12th of September, Frances managed to access the dolphin’s remains, which were on the shoreline of Ballinacurra, near Midleton , Co. Cork. Upon inspection of the carcass, a series of deep parallel lacerations were noted on the dorsal side of the peduncle or tail stock. Smaller lacerations were also present, and one deep wound on the ventral side between the pectoral fins. The injuries and other distinguishing marks were photographed by Frances.

"Nick" the dolphin's identification was confirmed by BDMLR, as he has a very distinctive dorsal fin and based on the unique scar on his beak.

Dan Jarvis, BDMLR's Area Coordinator for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly said:

" Nick's death so soon after he became prolific a few short weeks ago just goes to show that there is still a lot of work to be done in raising awareness to the public of how to act around wildlife. Although he will inevitably become just another statistic and case study, we can at least use what's happened to him right now to help get more people to understand why its important that they listen to continual messaging organisations like ourselves put out for following a code of conduct for wildlife interactions and to stop this happening repeatedly, leaving us to pick up the pieces."

Although we cannot be certain that this animal was dead when it sustained these injuries, it is important that we give a general reminder for everyone to p lease remember to keep a safe distance of 50 - 100 metres from cetaceans at sea and turn your engines off when in the "No Approach Zone" as shown below in the SeaSafe Whale Watching Best Practices.

For more information on ORCA Ireland's SeaSafe Whale & Wildlife Best Practices visit the "Conservation" section on our website www.orcaireland.org.

Ecocide for Tradition: Largest Single Slaughter of Dolphins in History.

Wed, 15 Sep 2021 17:42:11 GMT

ECOCIDE FOR TRADITION: LARGEST SINGLE SLAUGHTER OF DOLPHINS IN HISTORY!

ORCA SciComm Team | 15th of September 2021

There is a global out-cry from conservationists and naturalists all over the world in response to what has been described as the largest single killing of dolphins in history. On Sunday the 12th of September 2021, a super-pod of 1428 Atlantic white-sided dolphins ( Lagenorhynchus acutus), were brutally slaughtered in one day during the annual traditional hunt, known as Grindadráp in the Faroese Islands, Denmark.

Traditionally, in the North Atlantic Faroese Islands—which have a population of around 50,000 people, the annual hunt involves pilot whales and not dolphins. Last year, the hunt killed 35 Atlantic white-sided dolphins. The drive this year hunted over a thousand dolphins toward shore on the central Faroese island of Eysturoy, where the killings took place, which are legal and regulated by Faroese government. The dolphins were killed as part of the 500-year-old traditional drive of cetaceans (dolphins and whales) into shallow water where they are killed for their meat and blubber. The tradition has been carried out since about the time of the first Norsemen settled there which is approximately the 9th century.

However, this event was the largest slaughter of dolphins in all of the historical records that date back over 500 years, with the largest til now of 1,200 pilot whales in 1940.

The drive hunting technique relies on creating a wall of sound with boats and jet ski's to heard the dolphins ashore inside a "killing bay". The pod of dolphins are caused to strand on the beach, where they are slaughtered by hand. While the meat from Grindadráp hunts has traditionally been used to sustain the Faroese population over the winter, most agree there is no need for the meat in modern times. In EU nations, as well as in the UK and many other countries around the world, it is illegal to harass and chase a dolphin or whale using a boat – but the self-governing Faroe Islands have continued to engage in ecocide in the name of tradition and implement its own laws on the issue.

The 2021 hunt has become the largest dolphin slaughter ever recorded in the world, having killed 40 times more animals than average. Many carcasses are reported to be dumped back at sea, with too much meat for the community to use.

Whales that Walked on Land - A new amphibious whale discovered in Egypt.

Mon, 13 Sep 2021 10:42:09 GMT

Whales that Walked on Land - A new amphibious whale discovered in Egypt.

EMER KEAVENEY | 4th September 2021

A new discovery of an amphibious whale that walked on land has been named after the Egyptian god of death and mummification, - 'Anubis'. Scientists have discovered the skeleton of a whale that lived 43 million years ago in the Fayum region of Egypt, on both land and in the sea.

Cetacean Evolution:

Fossil records of large marine mammals; dolphins and whales, of the monophyletic order Cetacea, date back to 45 million years ago (MYA), during the middle Eocene. While the majority of research on Cetacea to date, focus primarily on extant (living) species ecology, population dynamics and behaviour, much focus has also been given to evolutionary studies which extrapolate from modern Cetacea and interpret fossilised specimens.

Modern cetaceans are have morphological and physiological adaptations to allow them to live in fully aquatic environments. The body is streamlined with paddle-shaped forelimbs, no external hind-limbs, and they have horizontal tail flukes. Early primitive toothed Cetacea, the archaeocetes, arose from terrestrial mammals, which possibly exploited shallow marine food reserves. Archaeocetes had distinctive aquatic adaptations: including:

- Elongated jaws, associated with an active predatory habit;

- Typically the cetacean ear was coupled acoustically with seawater, and probably functioned in underwater intra-specific communication and possibly food detection.

- Underwater vision, in the inferred absence of sonar or underwater olfaction, probably was the prime sense used in hunting; the forelimbs are flat and paddle-like, and hind-limbs reduced.

- The tail could be flexed dorsoventrally.

However, some remnants of archaeocetes terrestrial heritage remained. For example, the olfactory system is well developed, and perhaps was important in aerial intraspecific communication, and archaeocetes body structure does not preclude (phocid) seal-like movement in shallows or on land. Unlike seals which give birth on land, cetaceans are fully aquatic and give birth in the sea. However, modern baleen and toothed whales differ greatly to extinct archaeocetes in many ways. One notable difference is in feeding ecology, which is reflected in skull structure.

New Whale Species:

A recent study published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society of Publishing describes a newly discovered fossil of a previously unknown whale species — one that had four legs and a powerful, raptor-like jaw. Over a period of approx. 10 million years, the ancestors of whales evolved from herbivorous, deer-like, terrestrial mammals into carnivorous and fully aquatic cetaceans. Protocetids were early ancestors of modern whales from the Eocene that represent a unique semiaquatic stage in that dramatic evolutionary transformation.

The newly discovered medium-sized protocetid, ( Phiomicetus anubis) , consists of a partial skeleton from the middle Eocene, 43 million years ago (MYA), of the Fayum Depression of the Egyptian Western Desert. The Fayum area is not only famous for prehistoric whales; it is also an important region for Palaeogene fish, sharks, and land mammals.

Morphology:

Based on a comparison of cranial measurements for P. anubis with other protocetids, it was estimated to have been approx. 3 metres in length and weighed ca. 600 kg in life. Although it was a large semi-aquatic animal, the presence of high neural spines on the anterior thoracic vertebrae is a feature common in land mammals that is found in protocetids and distinguishes these species from basilosaurids.

Feeding Ecology:

The most notable anatomical features of P. anubis are associated with its foraging ecology. One of the key features seen in the cranium is the enlarged temporal fossa, occupied by relatively large muscles of mastication with larger cross-sectional areas and increased capacity for powerful bite force, presumably representing an adaptation for raptorial feeding on larger prey.

Dental wear, strongly resembles that of modern pinnipeds (seals) and to a lesser extent odontocetes, such as killer whales ( Orcinus orca ). Tooth wear of P. anubis suggests that it had both a piscivourous and carnivorous diet, with teeth being used for prey capture of large, armoured fish/sea turtles, sharks and smaller cetaceans. They further suggest that prey items were usually too large to be swallowed whole and had to be sheared into smaller parts. P. anubis used the same mechanism that modern crocodilians and sharks use in hunting large prey items (e.g. large fish or small cetaceans) by pulling them onto land or tearing them by seizing a part of the prey with powerful jaws then rolling and twisting the entire body.

Habitat:

Echinoids found in the middle part of the Midawara Formation, of the Fayum Depression, suggests a carbonate marine environment, indicating coastal marine waters with no freshwater influence, however P. anubis was discovered in the green shale, suggesting a more deep-water environment. This confirms quite a high degree of dispersal ability early in cetacean evolution, and raises new questions about early cetacean biogeography. it also highlights the prospect that further exploration in Egypt and in Africa, may uncover even more primitive archaeocetes and provide an important test of the hypothesis that basal archaeocetes were restricted to Indo-Pakistan.

REFERENCES:

Barnes, L. G. and Mitchell, E. D., (1978). Cetacea. In: V. J. Maglio and H. S. B. Cooke (Editors), Evolution of African Mammals. Harvard University Press, Cambridge, pp. 582--602.

Edinger, T., (1955). Hearing and smell in cetacean history. Monatsschr. Psychiatr. Neurol., 129: 37--58.

Fordyce, R. E. (1980). Whale evolution and Oligocene southern ocean environments. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, 31, 319–336. doi:10.1016/0031-0182(80)90024-3.

Gohar AS, Antar MS, Boessenecker RW, Sabry DA, El-Sayed S, Seiffert ER, Zalmout IS, Sallam HM. (2021) A new protocetid whale offers clues to biogeography and feeding ecology in early cetacean evolution. Proc. R. Soc. B 288: 20211368. https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2021.1368.

Kellogg, A. R., (1936). A review of the Archaeoceti. Carnegie Inst. Wash., Publ., 482: 366 pp.

Norris, K. S., (1968). The evolution of acoustic mechanisms in odontocete cetaceans. In: E. T. Drake (Editor), Evolution and Environment. Yale University Press, New Haven, Conn., pp. 297--324.

Seal Vs. Walrus: What's the difference between "Wally" the walrus and a seal?

Tue, 31 Aug 2021 20:46:13 GMT

What's the difference between "Wally" the walrus and a seal?

Seals and walruses are marine mammals that share many similar physical features that may explain why they can be easily confused with each other. While there are similarities, there are also some substantial differences between seals and walruses that can be used to easily distinguish these marine mammals. For those who are interested in discovering the diversity and differences between seals and walruses, they can start by gaining an understanding of their scientific classifications, habitats, appearance, and dietary differences.

Scientific Classification:

The order Pinnipedia includes seals , sea-lions and walruses. Seals and walruses share similar fin-like flippers but are classified into different 'families', with walruses falling into the Odobenidea family and seals falling into either the Phocidae or Otariidae family. Earless, or "true seals", are part of the Phocidae family, while eared seals -- or fur seals and sea lions are part of the Otariidae family. The origin of the name “walrus” is uncertain, but it may be derived from the Old Norse word hrossval, meaning “horse-whale”.

Habitat:

Atlantic walruses range from the Canadian Arctic, across Greenland, Svalbard and the west of the Arctic Russia. There are 8 sub-populations of Atlantic walruses, based on their geographical distribution and movements (Born et al. , 1995). In west Greenland, five sub-populations occur, while there are 3 in eastern Greenland. Historically, walruses ranged from Sable Island, Nova Scotia to the Greater Gulf of St. Lawrence, in colonies of up to 8,000 individuals, however, commercial hunting severely depleted their populations, and the current estimate for the Atlantic walrus remains at most 30,000 individuals, with smaller more isolated populations occurring in the north-east Atlantic in eastern Greenland, Svalbard and the Barents and Kara Seas.

Walrus North Atlantic Stocks include:

1. Foxe Basin

2. Southern and Eastern Hudson Bay

3. Northern Hudson Bay-Hudson Strait-Southeast Baffin Island-Northern Labrador

4. Western Greenland

5. North Water (Baffin Bay-Eastern Canadian Arctic)

6. Eastern Greenland

7. Svalbard-Franz Joseph Land

8. Kara Sea-Southern Barents Sea-Novaya Zemlya

In 2017, research using satellite linked transmitters indicated an overlap in the ranges of all three of the previously proposed stocks in the high Arctic population which suggested that walruses occupying Smith, Jones and Lancaster Sounds in summer are potentially susceptible to hunting in Northwest Greenland and therefore that without further counter evidence to suggest discrete sub-stocks, a precautionary approach would be to manage the high Arctic population as a single stock (Heide-Jørgensen et al . 2020). This is currently referred to as the Baffin Bay stock.

In Greenland, three stocks of Atlantic walrus occur; the Baffin Bay stock, the West Greenland-Southeast Baffin Island “component” of the Hudson Bay-Davis Strait stock, and the East Greenland stock (Wiig et al ., 2014). The three stocks have been distinguished based on genetics, distribution and migration patterns (Witting and Born, 2014). Two of these stocks, the Baffin Bay and the West Greenland-Southeast Baffin Island component, are shared with Canada.

Along the eastern coast of Greenland, walruses occur year-round and are mainly distributed inside the National Park of North and Northeast Greenland, north of the entrance to Scoresby Sound (about 71° N) (Witting and Born, 2014). There is very limited exchange between the East Greenland walruses and neighbouring populations, such as the West Greenland, North Water, and the Svalbard-Franz Land populations (Witting and Born, 2005).

A common stock of Atlantic walruses were recently found in the Svalbard and the Franz Josef Land archipelagos based on findings from studies of movement and genetics have shown that most of the males summer in Svalbard and most females and calves remain in north-eastern parts of Svalbard and the Franz Josef Land area (Wiig et al ., 2014, Lydersen & Kovacs, 2014, Freitas et al., 2009). Only a single documented exchange of walrus from East Greenland to Svalbard (Born and Gjertz, 1993) has occurred this is likely and walruses from East Greenland and Svalbard-Franz Josef Land differ genetically and are distinct stocks (Wiig et al . 2014).

In general, walruses live on pack ice, although they may haul-out on rocky islands if ice is less available as temperatures increase. In comparison, seals are an extremely wide ranging group and can be found in arctic, and antarctic seas. Some seal species, including the harbour seal ( Phoca vitulina ), caspian seal ( Pusa caspica ), and Hawaiian monk seal ( Neomonachus schauinslandi )- live in warmer temperate climates. The harbour seal, for example, can be found along the coastlines of southern California, Mexico, New Jersey to Ireland, Britain and France.

Physical Characteristics:

Walruses similar to seals, are rounded torpedo-shaped or, "fusiform" mammals , however different in that they have pink and brown wrinkled skin, long white tusks, and large, flat front and rear flippers with small, inconspicuous claws. Walruses are the third largest of the pinnipeds, after the two elephant seal species, varying in size from 2.3 metres to 3.5 metres, and may weigh as much as 1.5 tons or between 1,200 - 1,500 kg, the weight of a small car! Females are smaller, weighing around 600–700 kg and reaching lengths of 2.5 m.

Unlike eared seals, and similar to Phocids, walruses lack external ear flaps. Depending on their specific subspecies, seals may come in a variety of shapes that help them move through the water, have sharp carnivore teeth and front flippers that feature sharp, powerful claws. Unlike walruses, there are no types of seals that have tusks. Walruses, similar to otariids, can turn their rear flippers forward and move on all fours; however, their swimming technique is more similar to that of phocids, or true seals, in that they rely less on flippers and more on sinuous whole body movements.

Looking closely at a walrus you can see their eyes protrude, due to well developed extra-ocular muscles and lack of orbital roof, that allow the mammal to see in both a frontal and dorsal direction, although vision appears to be more suited for short-range.

Also, unlike seals, the walrus is not covered with fur and appears bald with highly wrinkled and thick skin, up to 10 cm around the neck and shoulders of males. Walruses blubber layer beneath the skin is also thicker, up to 15cm. Young walruses are deep brown and grow paler brown and more cinnamon-coloured as they age. Young walruses are deep brown and grow paler and more cinnamon-coloured as they age. Old males may become nearly pink and have often acquired secondary sexual characteristics in the form of significant nodules, called "bosses", around the neck and shoulders.

Diet:

A walruses impressive elongated canine tusks which are present in both male and female walruses and can reach a length of 1 m and weigh up to 5.4 kg, they are highly efficient bottom feeders, often preferring shallow shelf regions to forage primarily on the sea floor. As shallow divers they generally forage at depths of 30 metres but have been shown to reach depths of 500 metres. The walrus has a diverse and opportunistic diet, feeding on more than 60 genera of marine organisms, including shrimp. crabs, tube worms, soft corals, tunicates, sea cucumbers and various mollusks. Using their tusks, walruses dig out prey from the seabed, but analyses of abrasion patterns on the tusks indicate they are dragged through the sediment while the upper edge of the snout is used for digging. Generally, they have few rudimentary teeth numbering up to 38, but typically around 18.

Around the walruse's tusks, are a broad mat of stiff bristles, called "vibrissae", giving the walrus a characteristic whiskered appearance. There can be 400 to 700 vibrissae in 13 to 15 rows reaching 30 cm in length, though in the wild they are often worn down due to constant use in foraging. The vibrissae are attached to muscles and are supplied with blood and nerves, making them highly sensitive organs capable of differentiating shapes 3 mm thick and 2 mm wide.

Under its throat, the walrus has an air sac which acts like a floatation bubble and allows it to bob vertically in the water and sleep. The males also possess a large baculum (penis bone), up to 63 cm in length, the largest of any land mammal, both in absolute and relative to body size.

Life History:

Walruses can live up to 30 years in the wild, becoming sexually mature between 7- 15 years. Breeding occurs from January to March, peaking in February. Males aggregate in the water around ice-bound groups of oestrous females and engage in competitive vocal displays. The rest of the year (late summer and autumn), walruses form large aggregations of tens of thousands of individuals on rocky beaches or outcrops. The migration between the ice and the beach can be long-distance and dramatic.

Wally's Journey:

On the 14th of March 2021, ORCA Ireland received a report of a Walrus hauled-out on rocks on Valentia Island, Co. Kerry. Since he has travelled to Tenby, Wales, Cornwall, U.K., France and Spain and has been back in Ireland since early August. Unfortunately since his arrival, he has created quite a stir and has been subject to a substantially high level of disturbance from members of the public.

In response, ORCA Ireland are asking members of the public to follow our SeaSafe Whale & Wildlife Best Practices ;

- Please stay a minimum of 100 metres distance from Wally.

- Do not make loud noises near Wally.

- Do not approach Wally by boat, kayak, or by any other means.

If you want to help protect Wally, then please sign our Petition to #ProtectALLPinnipeds in Irish waters, including Arctic vagrants. Wally is not the first, and likely wont be the last Arctic pinniped to venture into Irish waters. The latest IPCC report on Climate Change highlighted this important issue, however, with Wally on our door-step, the Climate Crises is something we must address immediately, starting with providing adequate protection for all marine mammals in Irish waters, including Arctic vagrant pinnipeds. Wally has enough on his plate without being harassed by people, so please help us to get legal protection for Arctic vagrant pinnipeds in Irish waters.

Marine Mammal Strandings: How can you help?

Mon, 08 Feb 2021 16:55:47 GMT

MARINE MAMMAL STRANDINGS: HOW CAN YOU HELP?

Martyna Frankowska | 8th February 2021

Marine megafauna strandings are regular occurrence along Irish coasts, particularly from December to March, when the harsh weather facilitates the drift of dead animals and sometimes, even live animals ashore. This time of the year, is also a time when pelagic trawls are operating off the Irish coast, and by-catch of small cetaceans, such as short-beaked common dolphin is evident. Marine strandings can be quite a shock but what can you do if an animal is stranded on a beach near you?

If you find a dead stranded marine mammal, or shark on a beach in Ireland, please report it to the Observers App , if you find a live animal in trouble please call ORCA Ireland's Marine Wildlife Stranding Responders on:

HOTLINE : +353 89 4625374.

So what do you do when you find a stranded marine mammal? Check out our 4 simple stranding response steps for the public below:

If you find a stranded marine animal, such as a cetacean (dolphin, porpoise or whale) on a beach, it is best to keep your distance until you determine what species it is and if it breathing or not. If it is obvious that the animal is dead you can record it in the OBSERVERS App by using the “Observers Tool-kit" to screenshot your GPS location and take photos, then head to “Reports” and “Send us Images”. If you are unsure of the species I.D. before you fill out your report, head to the forum or Observers App Facebook page and send us a message with a photo and we will identify it for you. You can also learn how to identify different species by heading to the Education section of our website or the Education Tab on the Observers App.

The Observers App lets you report sightings, strandings and entanglements of several different species of marine megafauna. These may include cetaceans, sharks, seals, tuna and seabirds. "Join the Pod", use your #Tech4Good and view other recent records when you sign up to be a member for free! At Ocean Research & Conservation Association Ireland, we carry out vital research to collect baseline information to learn more about animal migration, population dynamics and important areas for vulnerable species. Become an #OceanHero and download the Observers App from the Google Play Store today!

****COMING SOON - Observers App for iPhone/ iOS - Release date 11th August 2021.

If the animal is alive, you can get in contact with ORCA IRELAND's Response Hotline on 089-462-53-74 so that we can provide you with information on how best to handle the situation until one of our trained responders can be on-site to conduct an evaluation, and to determine if it is in their best interest to be returned to the sea.

We recommend that if it is an injured or obviously sick seal onshore, once again, do not approach it and contact Seal Rescue Ireland’s Rescue Hotline on 087-195-53-93 . It is a common misconception that if there is a seal pup alone on the beach, it means it has been abandoned by its mother. Most of the time, this is in fact not the case. A mother seal may leave its pup on the beach while they are looking for food. If you’re worried about a seal pup alone, look for another seal bobbing its head in and out of the water in the distance. This may be its mother. Observe from a distance that the seal returns for the pup. If there was no sign of another seal, leave the pup alone and possibly come back the next day to see if it’s still there. You can find more information on what to do if you find a seal hauled out on a beach or in the water near your boat on our website here .

Over 300 Species of Shark are Threatened with Extinction!

Sat, 06 Feb 2021 16:57:30 GMT

OVER 300 SPECIES OF SHARKS ARE THREATENED WITH EXTINCTION!

Sophie A. MayCock | 6th of February 2021.

New assessments by the IUCN show 316 (shark, skate, ray, and chimera) species are now threatened with extinction (WWF, 2020).

‘Endangered’ is a term we hear often on nature documentaries or in the news. Even if you don't understand the details about how a population is assessed, you are probably aware that there is a very serious situation when scientists consider a species to be endangered. In the past few months, extremely alarming headlines have made the news regarding how many species of sharks, skates, rays and chimaeras (collectively known as ‘chondrichthyans’) are considered to be endangered. A report by The International Union for the Conservation ofNature (IUCN) has shown that more than 300 species ofchondrichthyans should be re-classified as endangered. Scientists now say that the chondrichthyans are at substantially higher risk of extinction compared together groups of animals, like mammals or birds. But what does this mean for sharks? And is there any hope? Will we lose all of these wonderful species forever or can we turn it around?

The IUCN produces The Red List of Threatened Species , which categorises plant and animal species into different tiers of concern based upon how great their risk of extinction is: ‘vulnerable’ (VU), ‘endangered’ (EN) or ‘critically endangered’ (CE) being the most alarming classifications for an extant species. Some species are considered ‘data deficient’ (DD) or ‘not evaluated’ (NE). This means that there has not yet been enough work to determine the status of the population in the wild and the IUCN will strive to prioritise their assessment. When a species is considered ‘extinct in the wild’ (EW),this means that there are only some individuals left in captivity, and ‘extinct’ (EX) means there are none left alive at all and the species is considered lost forever.

In 2014, a landmark paper produced for the IUCN assessed the populations of more species of chondrichthyans than had ever been achieved before. A remarkable effort, but with dire findings. The scientists discovered that 25% of the 1,041 known species of chondrichthyans should be considered threatened according to the criteria of the IUCNRed List. Scientists had found that around 20% were at risk of extinction, with at least 14 species of sharks, skates and rays falling into the critically endangered category.

That was horrifying… but the most recent report produced by the IUCN (at the end of 2020), has gone even further.In 420 assessments covering 1,134 species of chondrichthyans, the IUCN has now managed to sufficiently evaluate many ‘data deficient’ species, to determine their level of threat. Once again, this is a remarkable achievement, but again, we were met with alarming findings. Today, 154 species of chondrichthyan fishes are considered to be at risk of extinction. Of these, 37had never been assessed by the IUCN before. This means that species are at risk of dying out before scientists have even had an opportunity to study them properly! Sadly, the IUCN also concluded that several species of sharks and rays should already be considered extinct, including the Pondicherry shark ( Carcharhinus hemiodon ).

“ Sharks and their relatives are facing an alarmingly elevated risk of extinction ”

- Dr Nick Dulvy, IUCNShark Specialist Group Co-Chair

The report also reclassified several species; amping up their extinction risk. For example, the tope shark( Galeorhinus galeus ) was reclassified up from vulnerable to critically endangered (skipping the endangered category altogether). This species is now at the highest level of extinction risk, as populations of tope are considered to have declined by as much as 88% globally, in just 80 years.

Furthermore, the report also documented that certain taxonomic groups within the chondrichthyans were worse off than others: rays like the guitarfish (Family Rhinobatidae ) and wedge fish (Family Rhinidae ) were found to be significantly more threatened than sharks. Yet, certain groups of closely related sharks were also considered to be particularly at risk: the angel sharks (Family Squatinidae ) and hammerheads (Family Sphyrnidae )now have a disproportionate number of their members listed by the IUCN, so they are considered to be the most threatened families of sharks (IUCN, 2020).

It all sounds pretty dire, doesn't it? Yet, we must refuse to give up on these animals!

One glimmer of hope comes in knowing that, as the IUCN continues to do its incredible work, and classifies more and more species, inevitably we will see more species added to the Red List (I know that sounds backwards, but bear with me!). If you study the IUCN report’s table detailing how many species of different animals are classified as critically endangered throughout time(below), you will see 616 fishes in 2020, where there were only 157 species in1996. This is not necessarily because as time marches on more species are actually becoming threatened with extinction, but because we have reduced the number of species which are data deficient and have not been assessed. In fact, these species could potentially have been threatened for some time, but we just didn’t know about it (this is known as a “sampling bias”).

Another ray of light comes with how much work is now being carried out to protect sharks and rays. The IUCN has formed an expert panel called the Shark Specialist Group (SSG), devoted to assessing global population trends and making conservation recommendations to decision-makers. And there are many, many other groups around the world working on scientific research and fighting to improve shark and ray management. The plight of these animals is far better understood now, even compared to just a few years ago and the general public is also rallying be hind the cause.

Because conservation initiatives for sharks and rays CAN be successful! For instance, one scientific paper predicted that populations of several different species of sharks could certainly begin to rise if strict conservation measures were introduced to protect them. Using advanced statistical models, they showed that four of the five shark populations they assessed would begin to increase within just 10 years of protective measures being introduced. Yet, they also emphasised that a one-size-fits-all-strategy would be likely to fail, as each species has a different rate of recovery. This is because different species grow andreproduce at different rates. For instance, the ragged tooth sand tiger shark ( Carcharias taurus ) showed great promise of rapid recovery, whilst whale shark ( Rhinocodon typus ) populations would require tighter controls and would be slower to increase after protection (more than 50 years!).

They concluded that a multi-facetted approach would be necessary to ensure that conservation measures for sharks would be affective. They advised that simultaneously reducing the amount of shark fishing that is allowed, creating shark sanctuaries (where no fishing is allowed to take place at all) and restoring critical habitats (like nursery and feeding grounds) would give sharks a fighting chance.

“Recovery of elasmobranchs is certainly possible but requires time and a combination of strong and dedicated management actions to be successful”

- Ward-Paige et al. (2012)

The scientists also emphasised that public education would be critical to ensuring success. It is the passion (or outrage) from the public that forces governments and industry into making difficult (and potentially expensive) decisions. If more people voice their concern for endangered sharks and push for better conservation, then together, we will be able to put pressure on decision-makers! And this starts with each and every one of us!

To add your voice to the fight for shark conservation, you can join: ORCAIreland and support our Shark Research ! Visit orcaireland.org to help us to encourage best practices for shark angling in Ireland and to promote citizen science among the angling and diving community to help us monitor these important key stone species that are now threatened with extinction! You can also wear an Exclusive ORCAIreland Shark T-shirt and support our work by visiting orcashop.teemill.com.

References:

Dulvy, N.K., Fowler, SL., Musick, J.A., Cavanagh, R.D.,Kyne, P.M., Harrison, L.R., Carlson, J.K., Davidson, L.N.K., Fordham, S.V., Francis, M.P, Pollock, C.M., Simpfendorfer, C.A., Burgess, G.T.H., Carpenter, K.E., Compagno, L.J.V., Ebert, D.A., Gibson, C., Heupel, M.R., Livingstone, S.R., Sanciangco, J.C., Stevens, J.D., Valenti, S., White, W.T. (2014). Extinction risk and conservation of the world’s sharks andrays. eLife , 3:e00590, DOI: 10.7554/eLife.00590 . Access online: https://elifesciences.org/articles/00590 .

IUCN. ( 2020 ).The International Union for the Conservation of Nature Red list of ThreatenedSpecies Annual Report.

Ward-Paige, C.A., Keith, D.M., Worm, B., Lotze, H.K. ( 2012 ). Recovery potential and conservationoptions for elasmobranchs. Journal of Fish Biology , 80 , 1844–1869. Access online: https://whitesharkconservationtrust.org.nz/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Recovery-potential-and-conservation-options-for-elasmobranchs.-2012.-C.-A.-Ward-Paige-D.-M.-Keith-B.-Worm-H.-K.-Lotze.pdf .

#GlobalSharkTrends

See Turtles: the Importance of Insights provided by sea turtle citizen science in the UK and Ireland.

Thu, 04 Feb 2021 13:24:42 GMT

Sea-turtles: The Importance of sea-turtle citizen science in the U.K. and Ireland.

Joshua Hayes | February 4th, 2021.

Whether it is the result of citizen science (i.e.RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch) or via surveys and studies conducted by trained professionals, recorded sightings of any animal can prove valuable to our scientific understanding of the species in question.

Providing insights into the presence-absence, range extensions, habitat usage, habitat fragmentation, and population levels of marine animals, can be used to improve our understanding of the ecological impacts they face as well as monitoring ongoing conservation efforts.

Sea turtles are probably one of the last species most people expect to see swimming within our stereotypically cold coastal waters or lounging about on our sometimes-frigid beaches. And you would be forgiven for scoffing at the thought, after all most species and populations are considered to be endangered, and associated with sun, sand and far away lands. However, between the United Kingdom and Ireland, the general public, governmental organisations and programmes such as the Scottish Marine AnimalStranding Scheme, several thousand modern and historical records were submitted between 1910 and 2018 to MarineEnvironmental Monitoring and its turtle database (Botterell et al . 2020). Not bad for some cold rocks in the North Atlantic, especially considering Ireland doesn’t even have any snakes!

Besides being an awesome yet unusual sight to be hold, records of sea turtle strandings, sightings and incidental capture within Irish and UK waters can be vitally important for conservation. This is because they provide valuable insights into relatively complex and poorly understood life histories, abundance, and dispersal, whilst also shedding light on the impacts of many anthropogenic interactions, such as oil spillages and pollution, by-catch, climate change, vessel collisions, and coastal development.

Botterell et al . (2020) recently summarised trends in sea turtle sightings within the UK and Ireland over the last century, relating these records to known life histories and global events. Overall, six species of sea turtle have been documented within our waters, including 11 green sea turtles ( Chelonia mydas – Figure 1A), a single olive ridley ( Lepidochelysolivacea – Figure 1B) off the coast of Anglesey in 2016, and a single hawksbill( Eretmochelys imbricata - Figure 1C) near Cork in 1983. However, most records belong to loggerheads ( Caretta caretta - 240 records, Figure 2A), Kemp’s Ridleys ( Lepidochelys kempii - 61 records, Figure 2B), and leatherbacks ( Dermochelys coriacea - 1683 records, Figure2C). Of the1997 records, 1362 were attributed to confirmed sightings (93.3% still alive),492 were documented as strandings (23.8% still alive), and the remaining 143records were assigned as captures within fishing nets, lines and ropes (69.2% still alive, Figure 2A). Those by-caught were predominantly leatherbacks ( D. coriacea = 135, C. caretta = 6, L. kempii = 2).

Generally speaking, hard-shelled sea turtles (i.e. C.caretta and L. kempii ) were recorded most frequently as juveniles within the boreal winter months (December to February) when the North-eastAtlantic waters are at their coldest (figure 3A and 3B). Comparatively, the singular soft-shelled species, D. coriacea , was most frequently recorded as adults during the boreal summer (June to October – figure 3C). Whilst recordings of all three species generally increased between 1910 and 2000, they have since decreased annually within leatherbacks (figure 4A - C). Furthermore, although documented recordings of all three species were predominantly concentrated around the west coast of the UK and Ireland, D. coriacea was the most widely dispersed and unlike their hard-shell counterparts, leatherback records did not significantly decrease at higher latitudes (figure 5A - C).

A variety of factors can help explain these trends. First and foremost, shifts in knowledge, awareness, and the promotion of sea turtles, science and associated reporting schemes will directly influence the amount of records received. More people looking out for and able to identify sea turtles obviously results in more data being collected. Secondly, there are clear biological and ecological explanations as to why leatherbacks are more prevalent within the North EastAtlantic than their hard-shelled brethren. Whilst most sea turtles are ectothermic (rely on environmental sources of heat to regulate their internal body temperature), D. coriacea are largely categorised as endothermic and are thus able to generate or otherwise retain body heat thanks to their anatomy. This means that leatherbacks are more thermo-tolerant than other species of sea turtle, enabling them to readily inhabit cooler waters and occupy higher latitudes. Similarly , C. caretta and L. kempii are seemingly more thermo-tolerant than other hard-shelled species such as E. imbricata , explaining why they are more readily sighted within our waters.

Thermoregulation in tandem with abiotic factors such as wind patterns, surface currents, water temperatures and coastal morphology can explain spatial patterns within the recorded data to some extent. The long and short of this being that as these factors vary both seasonally and now more so annually, in part due to climate change, they influence where sea turtles can go and when, particularly during key life stages. For example, the North Atlantic currents present whilst juveniles disperse are likely responsible for why so many of the recorded hard-shelled sea turtles are sub adults. Less thermo-tolerant species often migrate and disperse in conjunction with water temperature, which is often dictated by the abiotic environment (i.e. thermal currents, wind temperatures) and can help explain range shifts or seasonal patterns. Furthermore, if the water temperature drops suddenly before the sea turtles have managed to get to warmer waters they can be ‘cold-stunned’ due to their internal temperature dropping below their metabolic threshold. Such individuals can then be carried by strong currents and become stranded.

Similarly, thermoregulation and abiotic variation also influence leatherback distribution, but also in terms of prey abundance.This is because during the boreal summer, Irish and UK waters become an all you can eat buffet of jellyfish, the leatherback’s preferred prey item, due to their populations peaking and concentrating around our coasts due to temperatures and seasonal currents etc. More food, more turtles.

Most other influencing factors directly relate to the reproduction, recruitment and dispersal of sea turtles. This can be as simple as the Bay of Biscay seemingly being a residency spot for loggerheads nearby within the North East Atlantic, increasing the likelihood of such individuals being found along our coastlines. Another factor explaining increased prevalence is that most sea turtle species became protected during the 1960’s, in turn leading to increased conservation efforts and thus larger numbers of offspring being produced during subsequent years (i.e. due to eggs no longer being intensively harvested). Similarly, factors such as the implementation of turtle excluder devices within fishing nets should reduce the number of individuals being by-caught, meaning that more will reach sexual maturity and reproduce. However, factors such as increased fishing effort, coastal developments destroying or disturbing nesting sites, climate change influencing nest temperatures, sex determination and successful incubation, and environmental disasters such as the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill in 2010 could all contribute towards the observed declines in recent years, influencing how many hatchlings are recruited, of which genders, and how many adults reach sexual maturity let alone reproduce.

Whilst the exact causes of annual patterns in sea turtle strandings and sightings remain somewhat unclear, contributing factors can be readily identified within the data collected and such information can be utilised to help guide conservation efforts, legislation and coastal developments etc. to the benefit of the species concerned as well as ourselves. This highlights the importance of citizen science and these programmes. To find out more, get involved, and report sightings or records to the OBSERVERS APP or directly though out website in "Home", "Log Wildlife".

References:

Botterell, Z.L.R., Penrose, R.,Witt, M.J., and Godley, B.J. (2020). Long-term insights into marine turtlesightings, strandings and captures around the UK and Ireland (1910 – 2018). Journalof the Marine Biology Association of the United Kingdom. 1-9.

Ecosystem Changes may Impact Populations of Humpback whales on their Feeding grounds.

Tue, 02 Feb 2021 14:21:42 GMT

ECOSYSTEM CHANGES MAY IMPACT HUMPBACK WHALES ON THEIR FEEDING GROUNDS.

Lottie Glover | February 2nd 2021

Anthropogenically (human) driven climate change is causing major changes in the marine environment, particularly in polar and sub polar regions. Long term monitoring can help us to assess the ecological responses and ecosystem variation due to these changes.

Marine mammals are apex predators and keystone species in the marine environment. They can provide vital information about ecosystem productivity and environmental quality through monitoring their reproductive success. Pregnancy rates and calving rates can provide information about the population health and growth potential of marine mammals.

Endocrinological profiling techniques allow scientists to measure the blubber progesterone concentration, which is indicative of pregnancy in baleen and toothed whales. By collecting and analysing blubber samples, pregnancy status of free ranging cetaceans can be determined in a readily obtainable and non-lethal way.

In the Gulf of St Lawrence (GSL), Canada, the population dynamics of baleen whales have been studied since the 1980s by the Mingan Island Cetacean Study. The gulf is a major feeding ground for baleen whales, including humpback whales, and has experienced major ecosystem changes in water temperature, plankton production and sea ice volume. The humpback whales have shown behavioural plasticity by responding to the ice breaking up earlier in their breeding grounds (due to an increase in sea surface temperature), which had led to their migration timing shifting to around 4weeks earlier than in 1984. They have demonstrated further behavioural plasticity through shifting their diet to higher trophic level prey.

By combining long term survey efforts of photo identified individuals, environmental data and endocrine profiling, the population level impacts, or resilience to ecosystem changes in the GSL humpback whales were assessed.

185 blubber biopsy samples collected from114 individual photo identified females from 2004 to 2017 were used to measure progesterone levels, which reflect their pregnancy status. The results showed that pregnant females had higher progesterone concentrations than females in other reproductive classes.

Annual boat surveys since 1982 have identified 476 individuals through photos. These surveys were also used to determine the mean age of the females first pregnancy, which was 12 years. The records also showed a significant decrease in annual calving rates. 39% of identified pregnancies were unsuccessful over 15 years. The average annual pregnancy rate was 37%, and the average annual calving rate was 23%. A high variation in pregnancy rates was seen, ranging from 25-63%. The probability of seeing a female with a calf was related to the favourable environmental conditions in the previous year.

The GSL environmental data provided information about phytoplankton, zooplankton and fish in the region e.g. herring spawning stock biomass (SSB) (tons), zooplankton biomass and phytoplankton bloom magnitude. Over the 15-year study period, the average herring SSB reduced in the GSL and some zooplankton species reduced in abundance. Phytoplankton bloom magnitude, copepod and capelin abundance were highly variable over the study. Various environmental changes have occurred during the study period in the GSL, which have led to a decrease in environmental productivity. In 2010, a strong warming event began. Oxygen concentration anomalies have been observed, including the lowest ever recorded in 2018. Changes in nitrate patterns have also occurred, which are associated with intrusions of warm, salty water.

During the years of poor environmental productivity, thus prey abundance, females may have been unable to accumulate enough energy reserves for the successful completion of their pregnancy and/or lactation. It is thought that the increase in poor environmental productivity led to a decline in calving rates from 40%in 2004 to 20% in 2018.

Although the humpback whales have shown some behavioural plasticity, a reduction in calving rates could indicate that this population does not show as much resilience as previously thought.However, it could be possible that a reduction in their reproductive out put during unfavourable conditions may be in favour of their future survival.

This study showed that changes in environmental conditions have led to variation in the population pregnancy and calving rates, highlighting the importance of long-term studies and the need for continuous monitoring.

References:

Kershaw, J. L., Ramp, C. A., Sears, R., Plourde, S., Brosset, P., Miller, P. J. O and Hall, A. J. (2020). Declining reproductive success in the Gulf of St. Lawrence’s humpback whales ( Megaptera novaeangliae ) reflects ecosystem shifts on their feeding grounds. Global Change Biology . DOI: 10.1111/gcb.15466

New Baleen Whale Species Described in the Gulf of Mexico.

Sun, 24 Jan 2021 15:33:10 GMT

NEW BALEEN WHALE SPECIES DESCRIBED IN THE GULF OF MEXICO.

EMER KEAVENEY | JANUARY 24TH 2021

A new Baleen whale species was described recently by a team of researchers from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the National Museum of Nature and Science, Tokyo ( 国立科学博物館). The researchers described a new species of baleen whale from the Gulf of Mexico and named it "Rice's Whale", after cetacean researcher Dale Rice. The Rice whale was considered to be significantly different from the Bryde's whale based on morphology and DNA analysis. Unfortunately, the Rice's whale, endemic to the Gulf of Mexico, has an estimated population size of less than 100 individuals and was immediately listed as critically endangered.

This week NOAA Fisheries announced the publication of a scientific research paper that describes a new species of baleen whale in the Gulf of Mexico. The article in Marine Mammal Science indicated that the whale previously known as the Bryde’s (pronounced “broodus”) whale is actually a new whale species living in the Gulf of Mexico. The new manuscript, authored by NOAA Fisheries scientist Dr. Patricia Rosel, provided the first morphological examination of a complete skull from these whales and identified diagnostic characteristics that distinguished it from the other closely-related baleen whale species. Genetic data were also provided as a second line of evidence which supported the uniqueness of the whales in the Gulf of Mexico.

The journey of the discovery of the now Rice’s whale, began back in 2008, when Dr. Rosel examined the first genetic data obtained from samples collected on NOAA Fisheries vessel surveys in the Gulf of Mexico and found that it was quite different from other whales. However, Rosel and fellow NOAA scientist Dr. Keith Mullin began collaborating on the new species even earlier. Mullin and his colleagues had been studying the whales at sea since the 1990s and believed they were rare and needed protection and further study. These finding led to more in depth studies and more efforts to collect samples to study genetic linkages between whales. Describing a new species is a lengthy process that involves spending a tremendous amount of time conducting research, forming collaborations, and reviewing previously published scientific papers. Once there is sufficient evidence to describe a new species, it then receives a Latin name and a "common name". The Latin name for the Rice's whale is Balaenoptera ricei .

The Smithsonian now holds the specimen of record—known as the "type specimen"—for this species. It came from a male Rice's Whale that stranded in Florida in January 2019 and, through a Herculean effort led by our very own John Ososky, it was transported to the Smithsonian's whale collections and prepared for researchers to study in perpetuity.

The name Rice’s whale is in honour of renowned American biologist Dale W. Rice who had a distinguished 60-year career in marine mammal science. Dale W. Rice (1930-2017) was an exceptional bird and whale researcher as well as an avid book collector and a voracious reader. He was the first researcher to recognise that Bryde's whales (now Rice’s whales) are present in the Gulf of Mexico. Dale W. Rice's final “magnum opus” is his Special Publication Marine Mammals of the World: Systematics and Distribution , published in 1998. This is the marine mammal “bible” with all the agreed scientific nomenclature. Dale served on the Society for Marine Mammalogy ’s Taxonomy Committee until his death in 2017.

The most noticeable morphological difference in the new species as compared to its closest relatives is found in the animal’s skull. Dr. Rosel was examined the skull of a Rice’s whale in 2020 after one stranded in Florida off Everglades National Park in January of 2019. While losses of individuals of a rare species are detrimental to their long-term sustainability, the death and the subsequent efforts by marine mammal stranding network responders to recover and investigate stranded animals provide scientists an opportunity to thoroughly study the animal from top to bottom, inside and out.

Rice’s Whale Facts

Rice’s whales can weigh up to 30 tons, which is about five times as heavy as an elephant!
They can grow over 12 meters in length
Like the closely related Bryde's species, they have three lateral ridges on the top of their rostrum (upper jaw area).
Not much is known about their life expectancy, but closely related species reach sexual maturity at 9-years-old and can live about 60 years.
Biggest threats to the species include vessel strikes, ocean noise, energy exploration, development and production, oil spills and responses, entanglement in fishing gear, and ocean debris.
Found in the Gulf of Mexico in the Southeast United States.

Reference:

Rosel, P.E., Wilcox, L. A., Yamada, T. K., Mullin, K.D., (2021). A new species of baleen whale ( Balaenoptera ) from the Gulf of Mexico, with a review of its geographic distribution. Marine Mammal Science.

Gray Whales "Ocean Hopping" from the N.Pacific to the N. Atlantic Ocean.

Sun, 17 Jan 2021 21:39:31 GMT

GRAY WHALES OCEAN HOPPING FROM THE N. PACIFIC TO THE N. ATLANTIC OCEAN!

EMER KEAVENEY | JANUARY 17TH 2021.

Pacific grey whales have been reported in the North Atlantic Arctic, having transversed the Bering Strait and Northwest Passage, opening up what researchers have referred to as "the ocean highway between the Pacific and the Atlantic".

The impacts of climate change ripple across the globe, but have been most felt at the poles, the Antarctic and the Arctic. On the 9th of May, 2010, marine biologist, Aviad Scheinin captured a photograph of a Gray whale ( Eschrichtius robustus) off the coast of Israel. There was much skepticism among his fellow colleges as the Gray whale ( Eschrichtius robustus) had not been recorded outside of the Pacific Ocean since the 18th Century. Then a couple of weeks later, on May 30th, the same whale was sighted off the east coast of Spain. Whalers were thought to have harpooned the last Atlantic gray whale over 200 years ago. In 2013, another gray whale was reported again in the Atlantic, only this time it was much farther afield, in Walvis Bay, off the coast of Namibia, southern Africa. This is the first known record of gray whalesin the Southern Hemisphere, emphasising our need to enhance how climate is impacting whale populations. This sighting also raised questions as to how the whale arrived in the Southern Atlantic ocean, whether it journeyed around Cape Horn at the tip of South America and crossed the Atlantic, or whether like the Mediterranean sighting, if it arrived to the Atlantic via the "ocean-hopping highway" in the Arctic.

To date, the Arctics wall of sea ice made polar "ocean-hopping" impossible as whales are mammals, and so, must surface every few minutes to take a breath, so cannot transverse frozen seas. The now extinct Atlantic gray whale, along with the North Atlantic right whale were popular prey for the whaling boats that plied coastal waters in the 1600s and 1700s because they could be found relatively close to shore. The right whale was considered the "right" whale to hunt by whalers because they were easy to kill and floated for a long time after they died making harvesting their blubber for oil easier.

The Atlantic gray whale was not so lucky; it was considered functionally extinct by the early 1700s and no sightings were recorded after about 1740 - until recently. Today only two populations of gray whales are found in the North Pacific Ocean. They range as far south as Baja California and Mexico on the west coast of America, and the Korean Peninsula, where they breed during the summer months.

A study published in Marine Biology Records in 2015 analysed the DNA sequences of gray whale fossils, both from the Atlantic and Pacific populations and found that they used to belong to the same population. The results, revealed that dispersion between the two oceans took place several times before and at least once after the last ice age. These whales are believed to have visited the Scotian Shelf, the Gulf of St Lawrence, the Grand Banks, and, possibly, Hudson Bay.

The Grey Whale is a large greyish coloured baleen whale. (Baleen whales have long, thin plates of keratin or baleen hanging from their upper jaws in place of teeth). The Grey Whale's body is heavily parasitized and marked with white scars. It has a small head; a large mouth; nostrils above the eyes; large, broad, pointed pectoral flippers; and rows of hair on the jaws. This whale has no dorsal fin, but it does have a row of humps located in the lower part of the back. The maximum length of these whales is 15 m; the females are larger than the males. At birth, calves measure 4.5 to 5 m.

Today, melting Arctic sea ice is opening up the passageways from the Pacific to the Atlantic Ocean. Allowing highly mobile Arctic marine mammals to more easily stray north and stay longer in an area to feed. The absence of ice might also allow them to travel from west to east.These genetic data on gray whales and recent observations in the Atlantic suggest the possibility that this species might be expanding its range once again.

Ireland is not alone in our fair share of Arctic visitors, on January 1st 2020, a hooded seal ( Cystophora cristata) stranded on the shores of West Cork. In recent weeks, there have been reports of warm water forage fish species, anchovies, similar to our sandeels, arriving off the south-west coast in huge numbers, and with it attracting all sorts of inshore feeding activity, with pods of up to 60 short-beaked common dolphin feeding inshore from Myrtleville to inside Cork Harbour since late December 2020.

Shifts in top predator species distributions in response to changing oceanographic and meteorological conditions creates a variety of possible species to arrive in Irish waters, and create the possibility of all kinds of rare sightings for ocean observers. Changes in marine megafauna distribution can be monitored by citizen scientists by uploading images and filling our a two-minute report of your sightings to the Observers App, available on Google Play.

References :

Alter, E., Meyer, M., Post, K., Czechowski, P., Gravlund, P., Gaines, C., Rosenbaum, H.C., Kaschner, K., Turvey, S.T., Van Der Plicht, Shapiro, B., Hofreiter, M., (2015). Climate impacts on transocean dispersal and habitat in gray whales from the Pleistocene to 2100. Molecular Ecology, 24, 1510–1522.

Elwin, S., Gridley, T., (2013). Gray whale (Eschrichtius robustus) sighting in Namibia (SE Atlantic) - first record for Southern Hemisphere. Conference: IWC. Volume: Paper SC/65a/BRG30 submitted to the Scientific Committee of the IWC.

Scheinin, A., Kerem, D., MacLeod, C., Gazo, M., Chicote, C., & Castellote, M. (2011). Gray whale ( Eschrichtius robustus ) in the Mediterranean Sea: Anomalous event or early sign of climate-driven distribution change? Marine Biodiversity Records, 4 , E28. doi:10.1017/S1755267211000042

Beaked whales Dive Together but Forage Apart!

Sun, 10 Jan 2021 13:20:22 GMT

BEAKED WHALES DIVE TOGETHER BUT FORAGE APART!

EMER KEAVENEY | JANUARY 10TH 2021.

Cooperative social foraging techniques can benefit echolocating animals, such as deep diving beaked whales who could eavesdropping on one another, however, they may also face problems of acoustic interference and intra-specific competition for prey.

A new study published in the Royal Society of Publishing has investigated the potential advantaged and dis-advantages of co-operative foraging in two deep diving beaked whale species, Blainville's ( Mesoplodon densirostris ) and Cuvier's beaked whales ( Ziphius cavirostris ). Both species are well documented to perform highly synchronous group dives, as a presumed predator-avoidance, but until now, little was known about the cost-benefit relationship of this on foraging.

Cetaceans (whales, dolphins and porpoise) are highly social animals, as living in a group can provide a range of benefits, such as lowered predation risks or increased foraging efficiency. However, living in groups may involve costs, such as group competition for resources, or sensory interference of acoustic, visual or chemical cues used for group co-ordination or to find food.

Acoustic signals used for communication often have long durations with limited directionality, and so are more vulnerable to interference from other vocalising animals in the group. For example, when the acoustic signals overlap in time and frequency, signal interference may occur, ultimately affecting communication, hunting or habitat exploration. On the other hand, many toothed whale species exhibit powerful foraging echolocation clicks can be short lived (10- 250 μs ) and be directional and less susceptible to interference.

Some species of bats and dolphins avoid interference, by changing the frequency, amplitude and/or timing of their echolocation signals or increase their silent period while foraging, a strategy known as "jamming avoidance response" . Despite the potential for interference, many benefits have been associated with echolocating in a group, especially if individuals can eavesdrop on acoustic signals from foraging conspecifics in the group, such as rapid click sequences known as buzzes which are produced as an animal approaches its prey. Eavesdropping has been suggested as a strategy of wild killer whales ( Orcinus orca) and bottlenose dolphins ( Tursiops truncatus ).

The foraging trade-offs for social deep diving whales such as beaked whales, involve capturing enough prey and nutrients on physiologically limited dives to compensate for energy expended on reaching their prey source. Blainville's and Cuvier′s beaked whales produce echolocation clicks to forage in light-limited deep waters and conduct highly coordinated foraging dives in small social groups, increasing the chance and impact of acoustic interference and/or competition.

Both beaked whale species exhibit close temporal coordination of their foraging dives and this coordination has been suggested to increase survival by reducing predation risk from killer whales. This is because diving coordination enables beaked whales to ascend from deep vocal dives in silence and with a random direction, and thus, surface in unpredictable locations some 1 km from their last vocal position and allows them to avoid being detected by predators such as killer whales. It may be the case that the potential of interference and overlap of echolocation signals is the price they pay to ensure protection by remaining in a group.

Scientists have analysed the acoustic activity of Blainville's and Cuvier's beaked whales echolocating in groups to try to understand how these cetaceans manage the above trade-offs of group foraging. They found that although beaked whales coordinate their echolocation-based foraging periods in tight groups, their individual click and buzz rates were both independent of the number of whales in the group. Meaning, their foraging performance was not affected by intra-group competition or interference from group members, and they did not appear to capitalise directly on eavesdropping on the echoes produced by the echolocation clicks of their companions. The study concluded that the close diving and vocal synchronisation of beaked whale groups that quantitatively reduces predation risk has little impact on foraging performance.

Reference :
Alcázar-Treviño J, JohnsonM, Arranz P, Warren VE, Pérez-González CJ,Marques T, Madsen PT, Aguilar de Soto N.2021 Deep-diving beaked whales dive togetherbut forage apart. Proc. R. Soc. B 288:20201905. https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2020.1905

How To Make Whale Cookies - Holiday Baking Project!

Thu, 24 Dec 2020 00:00:00 GMT

HOW TO MAKE WHALE COOKIES - HOLIDAY BAKING PROJECT!

Emer Keaveney | 24th of December 2020.

Tis the SEAson to be jolly, and what better way to spend quality time with your ocean loving children, friends or spouse over the Christmas Holidays than to have a "whale of a time" baking delicious treats for all to enjoy! I mean after all, who doesn't love whales? These whale cookies are super easy to make and you can choose the colours you want to customise, with a soft but firm sugar cookie base.

Whales have been in the public eye since the 1970's "SAVE THE WHALE" movement. They have been featured in blockbuster films like "Finding Dory" and "Free Willy" and are a majestic icon of ocean conservation. Ireland has a a number of whale species that we aim to conserve and protect, we can see them from land or boat all around our island nation, and now we can bring them home to share with our loved ones.

We put together a quick recipe for whale cookies for anyone that wishes to make some underwater themed animal cookies without any hassle. If you want to add your own theme, you could also use this recipe to make shark, seabird, octopus or seahorse cookies! You just need two colours of icing to make these really cute, easy to make, tasty. treats!

What you need - INGREDIENTS:

To make about 15 cookies you will need:

- 100g (4oz) of icing sugar
- 73g (3 oz) of soft margarine
- the yolk from a large egg
- vanilla essence
- 150g (5oz) plain flower
- eco-friendly alternative to cling film (plastic wrap) - e.g. parchment paper
- a greased baking sheet and baking tray
- whale shaped cookie cutter

To decorate the whale cookies you will need:
- an egg yolk
- food dyes (we recommend blue, black and yellow food colouring)
- a toothpick

Oven Cooking Instructions:
- Pre-heat the oven to 180 °/ gas mark 4

Base of Cookies - Step by Step Guide:

STEP 1: Sift the icing sugar through a sieve into a large bowl. Add the margarine and mix well until they are smooth!

STEP 2: Add a large egg yolk and stir into mixture. Add a few drops of vanilla essence and mix well.

STEP 3: Hold he sieve over the bowl and pour the flower into it. Stir the flower through the sieve to remove any lumps.

STEP 4: Mix the flower until you get a smooth dough, wrap the dough in parchment paper and store over night.

STEP 5: Place egg yolk into a bowl and beat it with a fork. Then place it into three saucers and mix a few drops of food dye into each one. Separate your icing sugar into three bowls and add the food colouring. ( To make a grey colour, simply add a tiny bit of black food colouring, to create turquoise, add about double the amount of blue: yellow, you can also leave some as white to create the spout of the whale).

STEP 6: Take the dough out of the freezer. Roll out half of it onto a floury surface, until it is as thin as your little finger.

STEP 7: Press out shapes with your whale cookie cutter or use a sharp knife to create your own unique whale shapes. Use a fish slice or equivalent to place the cut out shapes onto the baking tray. Roll out the other half of the dough and repeat.

STEP 8 : Outline the entire whale with one colour of icing sugar and let it dry at room temperature.

STEP 9 : After the base is dry, use the same colour as the whale to create a "U" shape pectoral fin and make little balls to stick to the whale's body for added texture detail. You can also add some lines on the tail and a heart shape on the top for the spout (make a different colour - white). Add a black pearl or sprinkle for the eye and a line for its mouth.

STEP 10 : Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes, the remove them from the oven and let them cool for a little and there you have it! Whale Cookies!

Disaster for Penguins as World's Largest Ice-berg Threatens their Survival.

Wed, 23 Dec 2020 22:00:37 GMT

DISASTER FOR PENGUINS AS THE WORL'D LARGEST ICE-BERG THREATENS THEIR SURVIVAL.

Emer Keaveney | 23rd of December 2020.

In 2017, an enormous iceberg broke off the Antarctic ice shelf and began its

journey towards South Georgia Island, where it threatens to damage a fragile penguin colony. The Iceberg, called A68a is predicted to collide with South Georgia Island which is home to a variety of species and the world's largest breeding colony (1.3. million pairs) of Chinstrap penguins, 5 millions seals and a total of 65 million other breeding bird species.

Initially scientists had feared the iceberg would block important bird and seal foraging routes, if it anchored itself in place, which could directly impact the provisioning of chicks and pups based on the distance of travel required by the parents from breeding to feeding areas. South Georgia Island is situated inside a Marine Protected Area (MPA), where a variety of life can be found, from megafauna to corals, sponges and plankton, that are all important for healthy ecosystem functioning.

Until recently, it appeared that the world's largest iceberg, at 2600 km² was on a direct collision course with South Georgia, predicted by mid January. The worst part being, some penguin chicks are due to hatch at the end of December! Talk about bad timing!

Luckily, the oceans currents have since directed the giant iceberg away from the vulnerable habitat!

Then, on Monday, satellite imagery revealed cracks along the sheet of ice, and by Tuesday two new icebergs calved from A68a – just days after a large chunk broke off from its northernmost section.

Now scientists are monitoring the massive iceberg to see if it grounds in shallow water, which could cause issues for penguins and seals on the island that search for food in the surrounding water.

Scientists are monitoring the iceberg's journey via satellite but warned that A68a, which is propelled by the powerful circumpolar current — could hit South Georgia at any time, even within the next few days!

This poses a major is a hazard for wildlife, with the potential to crush marine life on the island's ocean shelf and make waters inhospitable as it melts to release freshwater.The iceberg could also become wedged up against the island, blocking access to the water and causing an 'apocalypse' for penguins that need to feed their young.

Drones Used to Track Great-white Shark Movements Towards Improved Mitigation Strategies.

Wed, 23 Dec 2020 12:45:51 GMT

DRONES USED TO TRACK GREAT-WHITE SHARK MOVEMENTS FOR IMPROVED MITIGATION STRATEGIES.

Emer Keaveney | December 23rd 2020.

Human wildlife conflicts can often result in the call for culls of vulnerable and endangered species when there is un-clear understanding of animal behaviour. Large coastal sharks are responsible for exerting predation influence across marine ecosystems, however, are vulnerable to population declines due to their long life histories, low reproductive rate and late onset of sexual maturity. Until recently, knowledge about white shark behaviour near surf zones, where shark bites usually occur, has been limited.

Scientists at the National Marine Science Centre, Southern Cross University, used drones to track great white shark ( Carcharodon carcharias ) movements, obtaining high-resolution tracks of 108 white sharks directly off coastal beaches on the east coast of Australia. They found that white sharks display largely predictable track trajectories and slow movement speeds along coastal beaches, which has utility in further developing non-destructive shark mitigation strategies.

Many shark species are undergoing severe population declines from direct and indirect human exploitation. Amongst the most threatened are large coastal shark species, according to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN). There are global global conservation concerns, nonetheless, the potential for unprovoked shark bites, or “shark attacks,” presents a human-wildlife conflict dilemma that often undermines conservation efforts. Worse still, shark bites often result in reactions of calls for large scale, un-selective culls that can be far reaching and long lasting. Furthermore, common forms of cull-based mitigation can often cause negative consequences for other threatened marine wildlife caught as by-catch.

To detail localised behaviour of white sharks, the scientists used drones to obtain fine-scale movement patterns along coastal beaches on the east coast of Australia, particularly around the surf zone and general distribution size ranges. They further quantified the track metrics, including the direction, average speed, straightness, and net velocity across shark vector, as well as the potential influence of biological and environmental parameters on track metrics. The largely predictable nature of white shark movement patterns at fine scales along coastal beaches was visually illustrated. In total, 108 sharks were tracked resulting in 26.33 h of footage and associated data. The observed sharks ranged in length from 2.7 to 3.4 meters and duration of track was limited to either a), drone battery life or b) depth at which the shark was swimming. White sharks swam parallel to the beach line and in constant motion with predictable track trajectories.

Mostly, sharks were detected and followed behind the surf zone, but were occasionally recorded moving into the surf zone, particularly when large schools of fish were present. Sometimes, tracks went for a few kilometres parallel to the beach, before the sharks went back out to deeper water or into the channel waters in a estuarine bar. White sharks often exhibited curiosity, for example they opportunistically investigated fish schools and objects such as isolated patches of reef, rays, and drifting seaweed along their swim paths. In a some cases, white sharks were recorded to momentarily increase speed toward fish, often accompanied by a sharp turn, and occasionally this occurred even when no fish were apparent. There were also few notable instances where large schools of fish resulted in a circular shark track. Sharks were noted to increase swim speed and straightness in the mornings and afternoon, but no significant influence of environmental parameters were determined.

For the first time, insight into the localised movement behaviour of one of the world's most fearsome predators, the white shark, along coastal beaches has been provided using drones.

Microplastics Were Discovered in Human Placenta for the First Time!

Wed, 23 Dec 2020 08:22:21 GMT

MICRO-PLASTICS WERE DISCOVERED IN HUMAN PLACENTA FOR THE FIRST TIME!

Emer Keaveney | 23rd of December 2020.

Micro-plastics are derived from the degradation of plastic objects in the environment and can travel from the environment to living organisms. Now for the first time, researchers from the Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, and the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology in Italy, have found micro-plastics in the placenta of unborn human babies. In total, 12 micro-plastic fragments were found across 4 placenta (in the fetal and maternal side) and the chorioamniotic membrane.

Over the last century, there has been a stark increase in the global production of plastics, which has reached an estimated 320 million tons (Mt) per year, with single use plastics accounting for over 40%. In the EU, plastic production reached 58 Mt in 2014 (PlasticsEurope, 2016).

Plastic degradation in the environment is caused by a combination of atmospheric and oceanographic agents such as wave action, abrasion, ultraviolet radiation, and photo-oxidation that work with bacteria to break down fragments into nano sized particles. Across the globe, the ocean's seabed is now made of plastic, and micro-plastics have been discovered in sea air, sea salt, seafood and drinking water!

Mircoplastics have been found in the gastrointestinal tract of marine mammals, and the human intestine!

Micro-plastics can compromise the health of an organism as their body will regard the particles as foreign bodies, which may trigger local immunological reactions. In addition, micro-plastics can also carry with them toxic chemicals, such as environmental pollutants and plastic additives which are known for their harmful effects. (ESA Panel on Contaminants in the Food Chain- Wright & Kelly, 2017).

Now a new study has revealed a shocking truth, that even our unborn are now effected by our careless regard for the environment. Researchers used Ramen Microspectroscopy from human placenta samples collected from six voluntary patients. While their small sample size is a limiting factor, the results are of grave concern, that may have serious consequences for embryo development, that remains to be investigated.

All woman who participated in the study were healthy and their births uneventful. They were also asked to detail their diets (vegetarian, vegan omnivore, no diet restriction) and the use of cosmetics (e.g. toothpaste, and cosmetics containing micro-plastics such as beads in face wash, or other synthetic polymers, the week before delivery.

Placenta samples were collected anonymously after birth, sectioned and stored at -20C in labelled glass bottles for later analysis. Back at the Dept. of Life and Environmental Sciences, Italy, the samples were analysed using a common method used to detect micro-plastics and the data was compared with those stored in a spectral library of the KnowItAll software. Micro-plastics morphology and chemical characterisation through pigments was also defined and compared, which allowed a definitive number of varying particles to be identified. Pigments identified included those from not only plastic products, but from paints and coatings, which are just as prevalent as micro-plastics (Imhof et al ., 2016).

Some of the Microplastics found in human placenta included;

- Iron Hydroxide oxide yellow which is used for the colouration of polymers (plastics and rubbers), and in a wide variety of cosmetics, such as BB Creams and Foundations!

- Copper phthalocyanine and phthalocyanine which is used for staining plastic materials and finger paints.

- Pigment Violanthrone used for textile dyeing, coating products, adhesives, fragrances, and air fresheners.

- Pigment Ultramarine blue which is mainly used in cosmetics, in the formulations of soap, mascara, lipstick, eye shadow and other make-up products.

Unfortunately, we do not know how micro-plastics enter the bloodstream, whether they enter via the gastrointestinal tract or respiratory system, or both. As placental tissues represent the interface between the foetus and the environment, the presence of micro-plastics found here needs careful consideration in regards to our immunological tolerance mechanism of self tolerance. Particularly, due to the tendency for micro-plastics to accumulate one presence in the human body and to release localised toxicity by influencing immune response and potentially reducing the immunes defence mechanisms against pathogens, ultimately altering the use of energy stores within the womb (Wright & Kelly, 2017). Further studies need to be conducted to investigate if the presence of micro-plastics in human placenta may lead to the release of toxic chemicals and/or trigger an immune response.

References :

Imhof, H., Laforsh, C., Wiesheu, A.C., Schmid, J., Anger, R., Niessner, N.P, Ivlera, N. P., (2016). Pigments and plastic in limnetic ecosystems: a qualitative and quantitative study of microparticles of different size classes. Water Research , Vol., 98, Pg., 64-74.

Ragusa, A., Svelato, A., Santacroce, Catalano, P., Notarstefano, V., Carnevalic O., Papa, F., Ciro, M., Rongioletti, A., Baioccoa, F., Draghi, S., D'Amore, E., Rinaldo, D., Matta, M., Giorginic, E., (2021). Plasticenta: First evidence of microplastics in human placenta. Environmental International , Vol 146.

Wright, S.I., and Kelly, F.J., (2017) Plastic and Human Health: A micro issue? Environmental Science Technology, Vol., 51, Pg., 6634 - 6647.

Norway killed more whales in 2020 than in the last three whaling seasons!

Mon, 21 Dec 2020 19:46:58 GMT

NORWAY KILLED MORE MINKE WHALES IN 2020 THAN IN THE LAST THREE WHALING SEASONS!

Emer Keaveney | 21st of December 2020.

According to statistics released by the Fishermen’s Sales Organisation (Råfisklaget), Norwegian whalers slaughtered more whales in 2020 than in each of the last three years, even though 2020 should have gone down in history as a milestone year for the recovery of biodiversity across the globe. However the realisation of our greed and exploitation of wildlife may have hit us with COVID-19, it did not hit hard enough as the 'coronavirus crises' did not help to wake us all up to the fact we desperately need to change our relationship with the fellow species on our planet, and that the killing and consumption of wild animals in particular, is a dangerous global concern.

With the year coming to a close, we reflect on Norway's whaling industry and the rise in the demand for whale meat in Norway this year which resulted in a total of 503 minke whales that were hunted and slaughtered, an increase of 52 more than all of last year, and 76 more than the two years before that in 2018. Sadly, 2020 did not become the milestone year for biodiversity. Instead, we find ourselves at a pivotal al time for the planet - when the prospect of short-term financial gains must give way to the common goal of stopping species extinction and the climate crisis. Almost three million whales died at the hands of whalers in the 20th century and the effects of this huge slaughter are only now being explored, so we are urging the public in supporting us to help spread awareness of why WHALING should STOP NOW!

Global whale species population recovery should be one of the most important priorities of climate recovery given whales role in nutrient cycling in our oceans. It is shameful and shocking that one of the wealthiest countries in the world, is instead promoting the exploitation of the ocean and supporting whaling as if there was no climate crisis and no extinction emergency.

Whaling is unsustainable and scientists around the world have expressed concern for many years and questioned the way that catches are determined as Norway uses its own method of calculating quotas, which allows for more kills than many scientists at the International Whaling Commission (IWC), would recommend as sustainable. Furthermore, many of the whales slaughtered are pregnant females, and, setting the cruelty of this aside, this seriously threatens their population's reproductive output and genetic diversity.

Whaling is not an environmentally friendly alternative to the large amount of climate-damaging methane that is produced, for example, in beef production. This is because the general scientific consensus is that whales are an important part of the marine ecosystem and play a crucial role in removing carbon, which keeps carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere. Whale poo stimulates the growth of phytoplankton which absorb carbon dioxide and produce oxygen. If you think of forests as one of the lungs of the planet, then these plankton are the other lung, producing more than 50% of the oxygen you breathe. They are also an important source of food for small marine animals and fish, so whales help maintain healthy fish populations. Nothing about whaling is environmentally friendly – it’s the exact opposite. Killing whales directly contributes to the climate crisis.

Hunted whales suffer slow, agonising deaths, often suffering for more than six minutes and even up to 25 minutes after they are first harpooned. Taking this long to die (not to mention the exploded metal inside their body) would not be tolerated for land animals in a slaughterhouse where there are strict regulations. In fact Norway was one of the first European countries to require that animals are stunned before slaughter, but this protection is not given to whales.

Norwegian whalers hunt in defiance of the IWC's whaling ban and the industry sets its own kill-quotas using a method that is not supported by IWC members and which has been rejected by many countries and scientists. Bit by bit, the Norwegian government has also cut the bureaucratic burden of whaling regulations and lowered requirements so that more ships can hunt whales with minimal supervision.

We need your help! Please sign the petition here:

https://www.change.org/p/norwegian-government-stop-whale-hunting-in-norway-b672cb85-9b4e-4bb5-b853-3.. .

Keep the Noise Down!

Mon, 14 Dec 2020 23:30:40 GMT

KEEP THE NOISE DOWN!

Sophie A. Maycock | 14th of December 2020.

In recent years scientists have become increasingly concerned that the impact that human beings have on the natural world might be more extensive and insidious than previously thought. We have seen how litter, plastic pollution and oil spills can have rapid impacts on marine life, and we are starting to understand that climate change could seriously affect our oceans in the long-term… but there is also another form of disturbance that scientists are becoming aware of; “noise pollution”. Noise pollution refers to the plethora of sounds which are pumped into marine environments by human activity. You might think this does not sound like a serious issue, but, in fact, when you consider underwater drilling, shipping lanes, sonar, the use of explosives, seismic surveys, blast fishing… you start to realise that we expose marine life to an enormous amount of unnatural sound (known as “anthropogenic sound”). There has been a lot of attention on this issue in recent years, after several mass stranding of whales and dolphins were linked to noise pollution. But what about other animals? Is noise pollution really damaging to fish like sharks?

Noise pollution can be seriously damaging to many different species of marine wildlife. At the lowest level, extensive background noise from boat motors or offshore wind farms, even at relatively low volumes, can cause increased stress to marine life or mask their sounds which are critical for their survival. Research has shown that noise pollution alters the behaviour of bony fish; changing how they feed, socialise, avoid predators and move around their habitat.

Louder noises, such as those from underwater explosions, can even cause temporary or permanent deafness. In the case of “cetaceans” (whales, dolphins and porpoise) it is thought that noise pollution can be especially damaging because these animals use sound to communicate, navigate and hunt prey, like fish and squid. We now know that anthropogenic sound can alter how often whales vocalise, the patterns of their movement and how they forage for food. There is an increasing body of scientific literature about how noise pollution affects cetaceans (Bravo, scientists!), but work on other animals, like sharks, is more scarce (Chapuis et al , 2018).

It might surprise you to learn that sharks can hear! But it’s true. In fact, they have a very well-developed sense of hearing and are able to detect sounds from several kilometres away. Some species of sharks even use sound to communicate; using “tail slaps” on the surface of the water to compete for food resources.

The bodies of sharks are equal in density to the surrounding water. Therefore, sound waves travel throughout their entire body, until they come into contact with a structure which is more or less dense. This is known as being “acoustically transparent”. In sharks, the sound waves coming into contact with a dense organ known as the “otoconia”, causes delicate sensory cells (known as “cilia”) to be moved, which is interpreted by the brain as sound detection (Casper et al , 2012). It is thought that sharks can perceive sounds with a frequency between 20 Hz and 1.5 kHz, depending on the species. They are especially sensitive to low-frequency sounds, with a peak in perception between 200 and 600 Hz (Casper et al, 2012 & Chapuis et al, 2018).

To understand how noise pollution might affect sharks, a research team baited sharks towards their boat and tested how they behaved when they played them different sounds through an underwater microphone. They compared the reaction to artificial sounds of mixed frequencies and intensities, against the calls of orca ( Orcinus orca ), which are experienced naturally in the marine environment. In Western Australia, they tested seven different species: sicklefin lemon sharks ( Negaprion acutidens ), bronze whalers ( Carcharhinus brachyurus ), grey reef sharks ( C. amblyrhynchos ), dusky sharks ( C. obscurus ), sandbar sharks ( C. plumbeus ), scalloped hammerheads ( Sphyrna lewini ) and zebra sharks ( Stegostoma fasciatum ), and they additionally tested great white sharks ( Carcharodon carcharias ) with the same experimental set-up in South Africa (Chapuis et al, 2018). The Australian species were all coastal and/or reef dwelling, whereas great whites are nomadic and wide-ranging.

The scientists discovered that all the coastal sharks approached the bait much less often when both different sounds were played to them, compared to “control” conditions (when no sounds were played). They recorded significantly fewer inquisitive interactions when sounds were being played and the sharks did not make attempts to bite the bait. Whats more, when playing the artificial sounds, the sharks were much slower to arrive at the food source. The great whites also arrived late and left quickly when artificial sounds were being played. Basically, despite being tempted in with tasty baits, the sharks were still deterred by unnatural noises. These findings confirm that underwater sounds do alter shark behaviour across many different species, but that the responses can vary between species (Chapuis et al, 2018).

But what does this mean?

“Certain underwater sounds can alter the behaviour of some sharks and potentially deter them from entering an area and/or interacting with a potential food source”- Capuis et al, 2018

In the natural environment, continuous rhythmic sounds, like wind, waves, bubbles, the flow of schooling fish and the calls of other animals fall within the low-frequency range perceptible to sharks. These sounds are a part of their natural “soundscape” and so do not elicit a startle response. However, anthropogenic sounds are often chaotic and lacking rhythm, with quick variations in intensity and frequency. The researchers hypothesised that these unfamiliar sounds likely acted as a “cue”, which triggered sharks to exhibit “aversion behaviours”. This tells us that anthropogenic noise might repel sharks from food-rich habitats. In the long-run, this could shift their natural ranges and seriously impact upon their health (Chapuis et al, 2018).

Realistically, anthropogenic noise pollution is not going to stop any time soon - international shipping, drilling for oil and military exercises are all seriously big business. Therefore, the only weapon that we have to fight it will be to perform more scientific research into the effects of noise pollution. If we are able to determine that specific anthropogenic sounds adversely affect marine life, then we can petition parliaments to control these activities in some way.

“Given the combination of the worldwide increase in anthropogenic aquatic noise as well as the drastic population decline in many species of sharks, it is imperative that studies be conducted to determine whether these fishes are being further threatened by our noise pollution” - Casper et al, 2012

If you would like to learn more about how noise pollution is affecting marine life and how you might be able to help, visit our website and become a member to support our Smart Whale Sounds Project!

References

Casper BM, Halvorsen MB & Popper AN ( 2012 ) . Are sharks even bothered by a noisy environment? Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology , 730.

Chapuis L, Collin SP, Yopak KE, McCauley RD, Kempster RM, Ryan LA, Schmidt C, Kerr CC, Gennari E, Egeberg CA & Hart NS

( 2018 ). The effect of underwater sounds on shark behaviour. Scientific Reports , 9:6924.

What a Fluke! How Art, Science and Engineering saved a mans life!

Sun, 06 Dec 2020 07:47:45 GMT

A Dutch metro train was saved by a unique piece of urban art 10 meters into the air, after it derailed and crashed through some safety barriers in early November 2020. The train passed through a stop block at De Akkers Station in Spijkenisse, on the outskirts of Rotterdam, before it was saved by a blue whale tail sculpture! It is still unclear what may have caused the accident. The stunning artwork that saved a mans life is the result of science, art and engineering innovations.

The whale tail sculpture which stands 10 meters above the surrounding streets and water below managed to catch half of one of the metro carriages, became an unlikely temporary addition to the local art. Thankfully, the carriage was empty and no one was injured. The driver was able to get out of the train himself, however was transported to the nearest hospital as a precaution. He has since been arrested and was questioned by police. The train was later removed from the whale sculpture.

The Whale Tail Sculpture itself, is a feat of unique specialist Dutch engineering that has a compelling story all on its own. Nearly nineteen ago, three men, Eric van Uden, Hans Muller and Peter Globevnik completed the "Whale Tail" sculpture that sits at the end of the metro line in the suberbs of Rotterdam. The sculpture is made of hollow plastic only 6mm thick, yet somehow managed to hold a 20 ton train engine, constructed almost two decades ago.

As the sculpture was made with cutting edge engineering technology at the time, using an advanced manufacturing technique, which relied on composite materials and predictive modelling. The secret to this wondrous artwork's longevity, lay in that it is both lightweight, yet incredibly strong. The developers themselves lead interesting lives; Hans Muller who has a background in naval architecture founded Solico Engineering in 1989 and today runs the largest company of composite materials in the Netherlands with the help of his colleagues Peter and Eric. The company specialises in defence, maritime, architecture, automotive and other niche specific manufacturing and industrial sectors. Currently the Solico have on-going projects in tidal turbines and composite parts for yachts.

The Whale Tails were built with a specific function in mind, to assist with the strong winds typical of the coastal town in Rotterdam, although were inspired by local citizens of Skipjknesse who wanted artwork to mark the "tail" of the track of the newly completed transport system.

"The shape of the whale's flukes make the perfect wing. We knew that this could get a lot of wind force with the wind which presented us with an engineering challenge.", explained Peter Globenvik, the head of structural engineering behind the tails.

The engineers paid particular attention to the Eigen Frequency; a natural state of vibration of a structure, that if incorrectly calculated would lead to its collapse. In order to build the strong structure, Hans enlisted the help of an experienced biology artist who specialised in the creating scientifically accurate composite structures for zoos. Together the team worked on models design, ensuring to follow nature's proportions and the implementation of the design was tested using industrial scale 3D printing to test the whale tail's resilience in wind tunnels.

The tests were ran for vortexes, lift and air circulation as there had been vibration issues as a result of strong winds with other nearby projects. This allowed the engineers to develop a much stronger material based on the data collected using an advanced mathematical technique, called Finite Element Analysis, to digitally model the effects of the physical structure. These complex models allowed fewer physical prototypes to be built and relied on models of fluid dynamics, wave propagation and thermal analysis.

Once the designs were completed, they teamed up with Maropol, a production company that specialises in mouldings, to erect the final sculpture. One tail was created with a steel ladder and a composite skin, while the other without a steel structure. You may be surprised to know, that it was actually the one without the steel structure that was strong enough to hold the train carriage of the runaway metro train.

It was a combination of these advanced mathematical models, the 3D printing to allow for tunnel testing and the cutting edge additive composite material innovation, that has allowed the whale tails to be so robust and much more than just a stunning piece of artwork.

If you would like to know more about 3D printing and additive composite material in Ireland, visit UCC IGNITE start-up company Addaptiv's website or contact, Founder and CEO William Nolan.

© Ocean Research & Conservation Ireland (ORCireland) and www.orcireland.ie , est. 2017. If you like our blogs on the latest news in marine science and would like to support our work, visit www.orcireland.ie to become a member, to volunteer or to make a donation today. This article has been composed based on credible sources.

Reference :

www1 : https://www.forbes.com/sites/nishandegnarain/2020/11/03/the-whale-tail-sculptors-who-saved-a-runaway...

www2: https://www.rte.ie/news/world/2020/1102/1175447-whale-sculpture-train-rotterdam/

www3: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-54780430

Offshore Multi-Purpose Platforms for Blue Growth.

Wed, 02 Dec 2020 17:01:30 GMT

Nowadays, a rising variety of commercial activities are carried out in European seas, including fishing, oil extraction, energy production, telecommunications, shipping and tourism. Not only are the seas getting crowded, but these activities are also exerting an increasing environmental pressure on marine ecosystems. A new concept has been put forward that seeks to preserve and protect the marine environment and at the same time satisfy the economic interests from different sectors. This idea is the development of multi-purpose offshore platforms along European coasts. Will multi-purpose platforms be able to reduce negative environmental impacts, bring economic benefits and enhance an efficient use of marine space?

The European Commission defines “Blue Growth” as a “long term strategy to support sustainable growth in the marine and maritime sectors as a whole” . According to the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO), the aim of blue growth is to “secure or restore the potential of the oceans, lagoons and inland waters by introducing responsible and sustainable approaches to reconcile economic growth and food security with the conservation of aquatic resources” . This concept goes in line with the expectations of building offshore multi-purpose platforms (MPPs), which are to bring reductions on operational and maintenance costs, create jobs, optimize marine spatial planning, and promote a sustainable use of marine resources (Abhinav et al., 2o20).

During the past decade, different European projects have explored several designs and the feasibility of MPPs. According to Abhinav et al. (2020), most of them have focused mainly on the integration of offshore energy technologies, for example offshore wind farms with wave and/or tidal energy. Few have studied an integration of offshore renewable energy technologies with aquaculture systems. Some examples of projects that incorporate fish farming are the MERMAID and Space@Sea project.

The MERMAID project (2012 – 2015) was funded by the European Union and its main aim was to determine the possibility of developing MPPs in four locations around the European coasts. These locations were the Baltic Sea, the Wadden Sea (Dutch Coast), the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean (Bay of Biscay). For each of these sites, different combinations of technologies were designed. For instance, the conceptual design in the Mediterranean Sea included wave and wind energy extraction with fish farming, whereas, at the Wadden Sea, seaweed and shellfish farming were incorporated instead of fish farming. At the Baltic Sea, the design only included wind extraction combined with fish and seaweed farming. Finally, the location at the Atlantic Ocean was the only one that did not consider any aquaculture system. On the other hand, the three-year Horizon 2020 Space@Sea project started in 2017 and its aim is to provide a design concept of artificially floating islands, that will combine different uses, including energy and transportation hubs, food production (aquaculture) and living space for workers and urban extension.

“Most concepts of these projects (general MPPs projects) have been subjected to numerical modelling studies, a few of them have reached the stage of experimental testing as well” wrote Abhinav and collaborators, indicating that still more research has to be done to determine the technical feasibility of these designs.

Regarding the impacts on the marine environment, several environmental assessment studies have been carried out to determine the individual impact of an activity (offshore wind farms, fishing farms) and also the impact of integrated activities. The main environmental concerns associated with offshore renewable energy extraction are habitat loss, bird or marine mammals collisions, alteration in food webs and biogeochemical cycles, changes in the composition, abundance and biomass of different organisms, changes in the hydrodynamics, noise pollution, electromagnetic emissions and the establishment of non-indigenous species. Noise pollution has been a main concern for marine mammals, both during the construction and operational phase of offshore wind farms, as it could lead to behavioural change or a permanent damage to hearing. “Marine fish and invertebrates may be similarly hampered in terms of communication masking and disturbance, although there is presently no evidence of noise emitted by OWTs (Offshore Wind Technologies) causing physiological damage to fish” pointed out Abhinav and collaborators. Despite the negative impacts, there are potential benefits of offshore renewable energy extraction, such as the creation of new habitats, enhancement of new refuge and feeding grounds and an increase in the abundance of demersal (bottom-dwelling) fish.

Sea-aquaculture can also have multiple impacts on the marine environment. Some of these include increased parasite and pathogens on wild fish stocks, resource competition between wild and escaped cultured fish, genetic dilution in the local wild fish stock due to interbreeding with escaped fish, eutrophication, changes in biogeochemical processes and sea-floor degradation affecting benthic communities. Marine mammals and birds could be affected by aquaculture due to the lethal or aggressive methods used to prevent them predating on cultured fish, such as shooting or exposing them to loud underwater noises. In addition to this, accidental entanglement and habitat displacement are also a threat.

Until today, the dimension of the environmental impacts when offshore renewable energy activities are integrated with aquaculture systems is still poorly understood. Most likely, there are combined effects that will need to be addressed by using a cumulative impact assessment framework. Ecological modelling could also be a useful method for determining cumulative effects. A shortcoming when using some models has been its failure to capture the marine ecosystem dynamics on a large spatial scale, but the Ecopath with Ecosim (EwE) modelling software has been able to overcome this challenge and it is a promising tool for determining cumulative impacts on an ecosystem.

There are also socio-economic aspects that play an important role in the conceptual design of MPPs. It is foreseen that MPPs will be able to create new jobs, help boost the economy and increase the collaboration between stakeholders from different sectors while providing a non-polluting energy source to the population. However, these expectations come hand in hand with several drawbacks. The main concerns of the people regarding these activities are related with visual pollution, noise generation, job displacement, changes in the use of marine space causing a disruption or displacement of other users’ activities (ex. fishing, water sports), the degradation of the marine environment and also increases in electricity prices or taxes.

There are still many obstacles in the way that need to be addressed in order to materialise the idea of MPPs. “Most of the research effort so far has been allocated to the technical aspects, while the socio-economic and environmental aspects have been investigated to a lower extent” wrote the researchers. They call for a more extensive multidisciplinary approach that can help breach the existing knowledge gap about MPPs. Even though, at the moment, there are many uncertainties, MPPs have the potential to help guarantee a sustainable use of our oceans in the future.

© Ocean Research & Conservation Association Ireland (ORCAireland) and www.orcaireland. org , est. 2017. If you like our blogs on the latest news in marine science and would like to support our work, visit www.orcaireland. org to become a member, to volunteer or to make a donation today. This article has been composed based on credible sources.

References:

Abhinav, K. A., Collu, M., Benjamins, S., Cai, H., Hughes, A., Jiang, B., ... & Recalde-Camacho, L. (2020). Offshore multi-purpose platforms for a Blue Growth: a technological, environmental and socio-economic review. Science of The Total Environment , 138256.

De Luca L.V. (2016). Modelling the Shadow Effect caused by the Growth of the Blue Mussel Mytilus Edulis on Offshore Wind Farms in the North Sea. (Unpublished master’s thesis). Universiteit Gent, Universiteit Antwerpen, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium.

Eikeset, A. M., Mazzarella, A. B., Davíðsdóttir, B., Klinger, D. H., Levin, S. A., Rovenskaya, E., & Stenseth, N. C. (2018). What is blue growth? The semantics of “Sustainable Development” of marine environments. Marine Policy , 87 , 177-179.

Are There Still Plenty of Fish?

Tue, 24 Nov 2020 20:29:52 GMT

For decades forage fish have been taken from our oceans for commercial use , but how long can this continue? These species have other valuable roles not only in the marine ecosystem but also in other human sectors. Forage fish are small, mid-trophic level pelagic species such as anchovy, herring, krill and sprat. They account for 25-30% of global fish landings and are primarily used as fishmeal for aquaculture. However, they provide prey for predators such as seabirds and marine mammals.

A study carried out by Koehn et al . (2017) in the Californian Current found that fishing forage fish resulted in large biomass losses of seabirds and marine mammals. There are clear trade-offs currently occurring between commercial fisheries and conservation objectives. Seabirds in particular are vulnerable to this type of human activity because many of these species are specialist feeders and therefore are highly sensitive to depletion in their prey source. Forage fish therefore have a key role in marine food webs. They represent the main energy pathway through trophic levels that sustains the marine ecosystem.

Why are these tiny fish species so attractive to commercial fishing companies? Forage fish tend to accumulate in large aggregations for breeding. This makes them an easy target for large trawlers as it enables them to catch large landings over a relatively short period and at a low cost. This fast removal of an abundant critical species will lead to a population collapse if fishing rates continue to increase. This will not only cause ecological loss but will also harm the economy as there will not be any more fish to fish. Konar et al . (2019) predicts that forage fish could reach their ecological limit by 2037 if a “business as usual” approach is taken.

What benefits can the human population see from healthy forage fish populations? Ecotourism can bring in high revenue particularly for coastal communities. Predators such as whales and dolphins are highly charismatic animals which people will pay to see through whale watching tours. Konar et al . (2019) estimated ecotourism of this nature can value at millions in regional economies and billions on a global scale. Without forage fish to feed on, there will not be any of these marine mammals left for future generations.

There is an unequal distribution of economic benefit among fisheries. Small fisheries cannot compete with large commercial trawlers removing all the stocks. In Ireland, the majority of the fishing fleet is made up of vessels under 10m in length which are not large enough to fish offshore. In 2018, the Irish government implemented a ban on trawlers greater than 18m to fish within 6 nautical miles off the Irish coast. This protected not only the wildlife of inshore waters but also small fishing communities. However, the High Court has since overturned this ban, allowing boats of any size to fish anywhere. The Marine Institute recorded the landings for fishing fleet vessels both inside 6nm and outside in 2018 for several forage fish species. Vessels less than 10m took 284 tonnes (€145,289) of herring from inside 6nm while vessels larger than 18m took 3,513 tonnes (€1,288,958). Additionally, vessels >18m took 20,010 tonnes outside 6nm (€8,181,712). Small vessels cannot reach offshore waters, so how can they compete?

EU Directives such as Habitat and Birds Directive and the Marine Strategy Framework Directive require important habitats such as reefs, coarse sediments, sands and muds to be maintained in good condition. These habitats are predominantly inside the 6nm of the Irish coast. Trawling and dredging are causing physical abrasion to these habitats and disturbance to the species that inhabit them.

It is critical that all parts of the marine ecosystem function effectively to enable wildlife to proliferate while generating benefits that allow human communities and economies to prosper. Currently commercial trawlers are being prioritised as the main users of the ocean. As a result, harmful trade-offs are being made which are both economically and environmentally unsustainable. There needs to be alternative management strategies implemented to prevent the collapse of forage fish populations. In Ireland this needs to start with the reinstatement of the ban on trawlers greater than 18m to fish within 6 nautical miles of the Irish coast, to protect marine biodiversity and coastal fishing communities. We welcome the Minister of Agriculture, Food and Marine Charlie McConalogue’s recent action to lodge an appeal against the High Court on their decision to overturn this ban. We hope the High Court deliver with a positive outcome. To help make this happen, sign our petition (follow the link below) to get this law reinstated. https://my.uplift.ie/petitions/stop-unsustainable-fishing-in-irish-inshore-waters

References:

Koehn, L.E., Essington, T.E., Marshall, K.N., Sydeman, W.J., Szoboszlai, A.I. and Thayer, J.A. (2017). Trade-offs between forage fish fisheries and their predators in the California Current. ICES Journal of Marine Science , 74(9) , pp.2448-2458.

Konar, M., Qiu, S., Tougher, B., Vause, J., Tlusty, M., Fitzsimmons, K., Barrows, R. and Cao, L. (2019). Illustrating the hidden economic, social and ecological values of global forage fish resources. Resources, Conservation and Recycling , 151 , p.104456.

Marine Institute (2018). Trawl Fishing in Water Inside 6nm around Ireland. Fisheries Ecosystems Advisory Services.

eDNA: The Survey Tool of the Future.

Mon, 16 Nov 2020 19:06:38 GMT

The study of environmental DNA, or eDNA, for the purpose of species detection in the marine environment is a developing field. All organisms have DNA, and that DNA is released into the environment regularly in the form of blood, hair, skin cells, scales, and faeces. The DNA that individual organisms release into their environments is referred to as eDNA, and can be used by scientists to determine what kinds of species inhabit certain areas or have recently passed through. There are many applications for the use of eDNA including biodiversity studies, determining species abundance, and detecting invasive species. A group of researchers set out to test the effectiveness of using eDNA to gather population data on an offshore killer whale (Orcinus orca) population.

The use of eDNA to study freshwater habitats is well established and has proven to be a much more cost-effective way to study species rather than conducting surveys and tagging individual organisms. However, in the marine environment things have not been as easy, and many challenges have presented themselves. One of the biggest challenges is the amount of time eDNA lasts in the marine environment. From the moment this DNA enters the environment, it begins to degrade. This degradation has been shown to happen in the ocean faster than in freshwater systems possibly due to tides and currents, salinity, or the constant mixing of the water. In order to try to avoid this problem, a killer whale population known to forage from commercial mackerel trawlers was chosen for this study due to how close the researchers would be able to get to the whales. By targeting this population, the hope was that the eDNA would not have enough time to disperse.

To collect eDNA, the researchers took samples of the water near the whales both from the surface and from 2 to 5 meters below the surface. All of the sampling was done from Irish trawl fishing vessels, and samples were taken from the North Sea and Irish waters. To isolate the desired killer whale eDNA species specific primers were added to the eDNA collected. The DNA was then amplified using quantitative PCR (qPCR), a method that allows for the amount of DNA present to be measured.

Despite having seen killer whales within 20 meters of almost all sample collection sites, the researchers were unable to amplify any killer whale eDNA. To make sure that this unexpected result was not due to the primer or the qPCR machine, they tested their methods on a control sample of killer whale DNA. This DNA sample was successfully amplified, leading researchers to believe that there could have been a problem with the eDNA samples collected from the trawlers.

To test this possibility, they tried to amplify the eDNA of the mackerel that were definitely present in the area as that is what the trawlers were after. They used the same methods they used in attempting to amplify the killer whale eDNA. This time they were successful and the mackerel eDNA was amplified. This means that the problem was not with the samples. This led to the conclusion that the issue was with the presence of killer whale eDNA. The researchers concluded that the killer whale DNA was either not present at all in the samples, or that it was present but at levels too low to detect.

The researchers determined a variety of different factors that could explain the lack of killer whale DNA present within the eDNA samples. One of the factors discussed was sea conditions. At some of the sample sites, the ocean was very choppy, which could have caused the DNA to disperse more quickly. Another factor mentioned was that there is a possibility that the killer whales are only present during the time when the mackerel are hauled onto the boat and are therefore not around long enough. Other ideas were that killer whale skin sheds at a slower rate in cold waters, and that while on the hunt, killer whales’ behaviour is different, and they do not defecate as frequently. Both of these ideas would also account for why there was not enough DNA present. In particular, the change in behaviour while hunting may offer one of the best explanations as faeces is the biggest source of eDNA.

Overall, the researchers concluded that other scientists must use caution when interpreting the results of eDNA tests in the marine environment. Because the ocean is a constantly moving system, there is always a risk of receiving false negative results, meaning that your lab results do not confirm what was observed in the field. In the case of this study, eDNA did not prove to be an effective method for surveying killer whales. There are many different factors that can impact the results of a study like this including where the sampling sites are located, the conditions of the ocean, the temperature of the water, and animal behaviour. While developments have been made in the field of eDNA use in freshwater systems, more research must be done in marine areas before it can be used reliably to monitor organisms.

Reference:

Pinfield, R., et al. (2019) False-negative detections from environmental DNA collected in the presence of large numbers of killer whales (Orcinus orca). Environmental DNA. 00:1-13.

Roger Arliner Young: The First African American Woman to Earn a Doctrine in Zoology.

Fri, 13 Nov 2020 17:15:41 GMT

Throughout history there are countless hidden figures whose contribution to science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) has long been ignored. While the work of many women of colour is slowly being recognised, there is still a major underrepresentation of BAME (black, asian and minority ethnic) women in STEM careers. Diversity within the environmental sector is vital for the successful implementation of conservation worldwide.

Roger Arlier Young was an American scientist who studied biology, zoology, and marine biology. In 1940 she receive her PhD in zoology, making her the first black women to gain a doctorate within the field. Young’s perseverance and talent makes her an important figure in STEM, alongside other great names such as Mary Jackson (NASA’s first black female engineer) and Dr. Gladys West (a black female mathematician whose work bought about the invention of GPS).

Young was born in Virginia, 1889 but soon moved to Pennsylvania where she grew up. She originally went to Howard University to study music in 1916, and it wasn’t until 1921 that she would enrol in her first science course. Despite her poor grades her teachers saw promise in her, including Dr. Ernest Everett Just who was a prominent black biologist and head of the Zoology department at Howard. Young became Justs’ protégé and graduated with her bachelors’ degree in zoology in 1923. Once graduated, she accepted a faculty position at Howard and worked as an assistant professor.

The following year, Young enrolled in her masters at Chicago University, where she was invited to join Sigma Xi which was a exclusive scientific research society. This was a great honour as it was highly unusual for a master’s student to join such a prestigious society. Membership was granted upon merit and over 200 members went on to be awarded the Nobel Prize, including Albert Einstein. Young also published her first research paper ‘ On the Excretory Apparatus in Paramecium’ in Science , which looked at how the one-celled organism controlled salt levels. She was the first black woman to publish research within the field.

Young worked with Just for many years. During the summers between 1927 and 1936, Young worked alongside him at the Marine Biological Laboratory in Massachusetts. They investigated the fertilisation process in marine organisms and looked at the process of hydration and dehydration in living cells. The pair also looked at the effects of ultraviolet light on marine eggs. Despite this collaboration, Young’s name does not appear as the co-author on the resulting publications. In early 1929, Just had asked Young to step in as the Head of Howard’s zoology department whilst he was on research trips to Europe and this became a regular occurrence.

Later in 1929, Young returned to Chicago University to start her PhD under the supervision of Frank Lillie. Lillie was an embryologist and had also previously been Just’s mentor years before. Sadly, Young failed to pass the qualifying exams and she disappeared for a while due to her upset. However, she did not blame her failure on racism, sexism or the immense amount of work she had carried out for Just and wrote in a letter to Lillie that she was simply worn out.

Young finally returned to teaching at Howard University but her relationship with Just had been severely affected and she was later fired in 1936. Instead of giving up, Young took the opportunity to return to school to finish her PhD. She attended the University of Pennsylvania under the advisory Dr. Lewis V. Heilbrunn. Her thesis investigated the effects of x-rays on marine eggs and she finally earned her PhD in 1940.

After this, Young became an assistant professor at the North Carolina Central University, previously called the North Carolina College for Negroes. Originally opened in 1910 by Dr. James E. Shepard (a successful black business man) it was the nations first state supported liberal arts university of black students. Young later became the chair of biology at Shaw University, also in North Carolina.

Young faced many challenges throughout her life including poverty, caring for her sick mother from a young age and struggling with her own mental health. In 1953 her mother died and with her mental health worsening, she voluntarily commitment herself to the Mississippi State Mental Asylum. In 1962, Young was released and took a position at the Southern University in New Orleans as a visiting lecturer. Sadly, Young passed away in November 1964 in New Orleans.

To honour Young’s work, achievements and to recognise multiple social and personal challenges she overcame, the Roger Arliner Young (RAY) Diversity Fellowship has been set up. It aims to increase racial diversity and equality within the environmental sector by supporting recent university graduates. Climate change and environmental stressors disproportionately affect communities of colour. This highlights the need to have and support strong leaders of colour within conservation to ensure future sustainability.

References:

Diaz M, Celebrating the First Black Female Zoologist, 2017, Blog Ocean Currents

Spangenburg, R., Moser, D. and Long, D., 2014. African Americans in science, math, and invention . Infobase Publishing.

U-News, 2018, Celebrating Women in STEM: Dr. Roger Arliner Young , University News, < https://info.umkc.edu/unews/celebrating-women-in-stem-dr-roger-arliner-young/ >

Young, Roger Arliner 1899–1964 . Contemporary Black Biography . . Encyclopedia.com. 26 Jun. 2020 < https://www.encyclopedia.com >.

Call of the Ross Sea Killer Whale.

Fri, 30 Oct 2020 18:19:33 GMT

Passive Acoustic Monitoring (PAM) has emerged as an important tool for effective marine wildlife management and conservation. Yet, discerning where and who generates these acoustic signals remains unclear. The Killer whale (Orcinus orca) population is poorly understood, and despite many genetic distinct populations having being identified, remains classified under the IUCN Red list as data deficient under a single species. Here, a recent research paper has unravelled the acoustic repertoire of the smallest known eco-type, the Type C killer whale, also known as the Ross Sea killer whale. The results provide a crucial leap forward in passive acoustic monitoring, allowing to distinguish its calls from other Killer whale eco-types.

The Killer whale is a marine top predator with a cosmopolitan distribution found in all corners of the ocean, from the Antarctic to the Arctic. The Antarctic residents have been classified under 5 genetically and morphologically distinct eco-types, known as Type A, B1 (larger), B2 (smaller), C and D.

The Type C killer whale is the smallest of all known Killer whale eco-types, reaching lengths of up to 6.1m. It is easily distinguished by its unique narrow and slanted eyepatch, with a diet composed of fish, such as the Antarctic toothfish. In summer, they take advantage of the ice-break to forage. They are found in large numbers, at an annual average of 470 individuals in the McMurdo Sound, Ross Sea in Eastern Antarctica. Yet, despite advances in photo-identification and telemetric studies shedding light on its abundance, distribution, ecology and behaviour, knowledge gaps remain on their year-round occurrence. The mobile nature of the Killer whale complicates the ability for direct monitoring. Passive acoustic monitoring offers the opportunity for year-round occurrence and relative abundance data.

Killer whales have distinct dialects as well as shared calls, as a result of learned behaviour. Groups that are more closely related have increased shared vocal commonalities than those geographically and relatively distant. A shared commonality amongst all is that their acoustic repertoire is broadly categorised into clicks , whistles, and burst-pulse sounds .

Echolocation clicks are used for foraging and navigation, whilst whistles and burst-pulse sounds are thought to be forms of communication. Additionally, sub-categories exist known as graded types that lie on a spectrum from whistles and burst-pulses. Through analysis of burst-pulses, clicks, whistles and graded types, the acoustic repertoire of the Killer whale can be achieved.

A new paper published in The Royal Society’s Open Science , led by Dr. Wellard from the Centre for Marine Science and Technology at Curtin University, compiled and analysed acoustic recordings between 2012-2013 of 9 Type C killer whale encounters in McMurdo Sound, Ross Sea. Assessing this, the first comprehensive acoustic repertoire of the Type C killer whale was achieved.

During the study period, a total of 9 encounters of the Type C killer whale of 392 individuals ranging in group size from 8 to 125 individuals was recorded. Their behaviour was seen to be a combination of socializing, foraging and/or travelling.

The acoustic data was captured on site with a hydrophone handheld below water between 3-4 metres depth paired with a recording unit (M-Audia Microtrack 24/96) and an in-line amplifier. Acoustic analysis of over 3 hours of recording was conducted visually and aurally using an acoustic software.

The results found a total of 28 acoustic call categories, of which 4 are sub-type categories that are variations of the primary call type produced by the Type C killer whale, a total of 1250 vocalizations. The most popular calls are McM3 , McM2 , McM1 , McM10 , McM15 , McM7 and McM5 . Multi-components are more frequent than single component calls, making up 21 out of 28 of the call categories. While the categories are 54% Monophonic and 46% Biphonic, the latter are composed of at least two components: whistle and burst-pulse calls. The high rate of Biphonic calls could be as a result of having to locate other members of the group, in particular to communicate available breathing holes.

The complexity and acoustic repertoire of the Type C killer whale could reflect its feeding ecology and/or behaviour at the time of recording. Killer whale eco-types that differ in terms of foraging behaviour and diet have different acoustic repertoires and acoustic activity. In particular, mammal-eating killer whale eco-types maintain long periods of silence and have fewer complex calls, only found to regain acoustic activity after predation and during social interactions. In contrast, fish-eating killer whale eco-types display continuous complex acoustic repertoire throughout activities. This could be as a result of prey having more (e.g. whales, dolphins) or less (e.g. fish) acoustic ability, in turn, shaping the Killer whale’s vocal behaviour. While its behavioural state may influence call type complexity, higher rates of calls have been recorded during foraging and social interactions compared to traveling. Special consideration in call analysis must be made to their feeding ecology and behavioural context.

Antarctica is one of the last remaining pristine environments, but is rapidly changing due to increased environmental and human-induced threats. Its remoteness hinders monitoring of the ecosystem. Top predators, such as Killer whales are important ecosystem indicators, not only of their own health, but of the environment that supports them. This can be crucial to inform decision making, in particular for the Ross Sea Region Marine Protected Area (RSRMPA), the largest marine high-seas protected area.

This study through PAM and visual surveys was able to quantify and establish the Type C killer whale’s unique and complex acoustic repertoire, providing a step forward in passive acoustic monitoring and understanding its behaviour and ecology. Identification of different Killer whale dialects could help gain knowledge on cultural evolution, phylogenetic relationships, communication methods, as well as aid not only in their conservation, but aid the supporting ecosystem of the Southern Ocean.

Reference:

Wellard, R., Pitman, R.L., Durban, J. and Erbe, C. 2020. Cold Call: the acoustic repertoire of Ross Sea killer whales (Orcinus orca, Type C) in McMurdo Sound, Antarctica. R.Soc. open sci , 7 :191228.

Eavesdropping on Cetaceans: Using Passive Acoustic Monitoring to Investigate Cetacean Distribution in North-west Ireland.

Tue, 27 Oct 2020 18:57:22 GMT

Cetaceans such as dolphins and porpoises are highly vulnerable to anthropogenic activities. Disturbance, displacement, morbidity, and mortality in cetaceans often results from prey being overfished, being bycaught themselves, boat collisions, and habitat degradation (i.e. noise and chemical pollution, mechanical damage).

Due to these threats and the conservation status of most marine megafauna, European law dictates cetacean populations must be protected and maintained, ultimately minimising disturbance in proximity to sites associated with crucial activities (i.e. feeding, breeding, and resting). Protective measures vary, ranging from the generation of marine protected areas or restricting activities such as fishing, construction, and recreational boating to certain locations and times. However, deciding which measures to implement is largely dictated by our understanding of the temporal patterns in the target species’ distribution and habitat usage within a given area.

This is particularly problematic for cetaceans, which are typically identified, located, and tracked across extensive ranges via boat, making effective monitoring difficult and expensive. Whilst these visual surveys can provide valuable information regarding abundance and distribution, they are time consuming and restricted to preferable weather and light conditions. Furthermore, cryptic species (i.e. harbour porpoise Phocoena phocoena ) are often missed due to visual detection rates declining dramatically during conditions greater than Beaufort sea state 2 (light breeze, 4-6kt wind speeds, 0.2-0.5m waves with small wavelets, glossy unbreaking crests). As such, our current understanding of space usage in mobile marine cetaceans is hindered by being predominantly derived from short-term, visual data lacking environmental variability.

Despite these limitations, current knowledge of cetacean behaviour identifies that their distribution patterns likely result from being predominantly apex predators foraging for patchy prey resources, differing seasonally and inter-annually alongside a range of environmental proxies for prey distribution and abundance.

Whilst data gaps persist, Irish waters are recognised as one of the most significant areas for cetaceans in Europe. Nine species of cetacean are sighted in Broadhaven Bay alone, largely due to the variety of habitats present (i.e large shallow inlets and bays, mud and sandflats, reefs, tidal inlets, estuaries). As such, in 2001 Broadhaven became the site of the longest marine mammal monitoring programme of its kind in Ireland (figure 1), where Todd et al. (2020) set about filling in some of these data gaps. Longitudinal Passive Acoustic Monitoring (PAM) data was collected between 2009 and 2017 to investigate year-round seasonal and temporal patterns, as well as environmental influences, upon the distribution of the harbour porpoise ( P. phocoena ) and local dolphin species (bottlenose dolphins Tursiops truncates, common dolphin Delphinus delphis ).

P. phocoena , T. truncates and D. delphis (figure 2) are prime candidates for studying temporal and environmental patterns in Irish cetacean distribution, due to their prevalence and known variations in life history and habitat usage. For example, P. phoecoena is known to be an important, frequently observed, indicator species and top predator across habitats, with a wide distribution likely influenced by prey availability due to their small body size and high energetic demands. Similarly, T. truncatus populations are found within a variety of habitats, and although some exploit deeper offshore waters the species typically maintains an inshore distribution. D. delphis on the other hand occurs seasonally across inshore and offshore waters at depths of up to 200m, seemingly moving further offshore during summer to reduce potential competition with other inshore habitat users.

As PAM functions by detecting the acoustic signals generated during navigation and foraging (echolocation) in odontocetes, it is far more cost effective than visual surveys and facilitates continuous monitoring irrespective of time and weather. As such, Todd deployed fixed Cetacean-Porpoise Detectors (CPOD’s) year-round, detecting cetacean clicks between 20 – 160k kHz at a maximum range of 400m for harbour porpoises and 1km for delphinids - subject to conditions, ambient noise, and cetacean orientation. 3 COPD’s were situated 500m apart within the inner bay, at an average high-tide depth of 17m, whilst 1 was located in the tidally active waters of the outer bay at a depth of 34m. Environmental data such as tide and sunset were obtained from Ballyglass, Killybegs and Belmullet, whilst 430 days’ worth of construction activity records between 2009 and 2015 were sourced from the Department of Communications, Climate Action and the Environment, denoting the presence or absence of such disturbance. It must be noted that delphinid species cannot yet be differentiated between using COPD data alone due to click similarities, so clicks were identified visually and utilising software in order to determine detection positive minutes (DPM) and the hours (DPH) in which at least one positive detection was recorded.

Whilst Broadhaven may only represent a fraction of Irish cetacean distributive ranges, 168,091 hours of acoustic data was collected. 21,836 and 32,635 DPH of which were attributed to harbour porpoises and delphinids respectively, primarily within the deeper, outer region of the bay near an area of tidal upwelling and a strong current. Although cetacean movements in and out of the area may warrant further study, as it is difficult and unethical to confine dolphins and porpoises to the bay in order to protect them, the data still has provided significant insight. In a first for reported literature, whilst both were detected year-round, porpoises and common dolphins expressed a strong, repeating, bi-annual peak. When coupled with the seasonal data acquired, this meant that both appeared most frequently during winter every other year. However, whilst porpoise distribution did not appear to be influenced by the time of day, dolphins were most likely to be detected at dawn. It is possible that dolphins are driving the observed seasonal variations and species segregation through factors such as aggressive competition. However, the data also supports previous studies indicating that dietary overlap and foraging behaviour, alongside factors such as prey abundance, distribution, habitat preference and activity, are largely influential. Finally, whilst the impacts of percussive and continuous noise could not be investigated, construction detrimentally affected porpoises whilst seemingly having minimal impacts of delphinids. This was shown by activities such as seismic surveys, pipe laying and dredging temporarily resulting in up to 90% reductions in porpoise detection.

Overall, Todd highlighted the importance acoustic monitoring in relation to the long-term, regional studies required to understand cetacean distributions and the associated influential factors. The findings suggest that it may be best to continue to protect and somewhat restrict anthropogenic activities away from key areas, or to off peak seasons and years. Such information could be utilised to better inform mitigation in Ireland and around the world, in order to minimise disturbance and conserve these much beloved species.

Reference:

Todd, N.R.E., Cronin, M., Luck, C., Bennison, A., Jessop, M., and Kavanagh, A.S. (2020). Using passive acoustic monitoring to investigate the occurrence of cetaceans in a protected marine area in northwest Ireland. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science. 232: 2 – 8.

Covid-19 Plastic: Protector or Polluter?

Fri, 23 Oct 2020 13:56:15 GMT

The amount of plastic waste in our oceans is surging due to the Coronavirus. Our natural environment is being hugely impacted by the pandemic, but the consequences have been overshadowed by the more urgent health concerns. The increased production and consumption of single-use plastics across the world has given rise to a new environmental challenge, adding to the vast plastic waste in the marine environment. Discarded masks, gloves and takeaway containers are washing up on shorelines around the world and littering the seabed (Zambrano-Monserrate, M et al., 2020).

Marine plastic pollution is a complex, multi-faceted problem and the onset of a pandemic has only made it more complicated. It is already globally accepted that plastic pollution is one of the largest threats that our oceans face today, and by 2050 there could be more plastic in the oceans (by weight) than fish! Every year millions of tonnes of plastic flows from rivers into the sea, polluting valuable ecosystems and getting into the food chain. Rivers are the arteries that carry the plastic from land to sea, so the problem needs to be addressed at the source - on land. In the past few months, the use of single-use plastics has increased significantly, particularly the use of PPE (personal protective equipment), which is used to protect those who are working on the front line. This widespread use of plastic throughout the world has created massive downstream waste disposal problems, and a lot of that is now being seen in the oceans and washed up on beaches.

It is important to acknowledge that we are living though an uncertain and unfamiliar time. Governments, businesses, and individuals alike have had to make changes to consumption behaviours for the safety and well being of everyone. No one knows what the safest option is, but a lot of people have reverted back to using more plastic as they feel it is the safer, cleaner, and more convenient option. After years of successful campaigning, plastic has now come back into our lives in large quantities! Industries have seized the opportunity to repeal disposable bag bans, meaning that companies that once encouraged consumers to bring their own bags have increasingly switched back to single-use packaging. In lots of places there have also been temporary bans on the use of reusable coffee cups, and on top of that, takeaway food and plastic water bottle sales have increased. The worry is that if the temporary relaxation to plastic bans become permanent, it could undermine efforts to reduce single-use plastics and increase ocean plastic pollution going forward.

While plastics such as gloves, masks and other medical equipment are important for protecting front line workers, this pandemic is a reminder of how much waste we produce and how important correct management of it is. Controlling this increase in single-use plastic waste will be a challenge for governments – even more so in many developing nations, where mismanaged waste commonly aggregates in towns, leaks into rivers and then flow into oceans. Waste recycling has always been a major environmental problem of interest to all countries. Recycling is a common and effective way to prevent pollution, save energy, and conserve natural resources. To make matters worse, as a result of the pandemic, some cities have suspended recycling programs, as authorities have been concerned about the risk of Covid19 spreading in recycling centres.

The health of the public is the priority, but it does not need to come at a cost to our oceans. This sudden increase in plastic needs to be tackled and addressed by governments and policy makers. A sustainable recovery is important to prevent similar occurrences from happening again in the future when we are faced with a global crisis. Good infrastructure and waste collection needs to be implemented globally, but also a focus on educating people and the role they can play to help. Single use plastics will have a long term impact on the marine environment, so countries should start acting now to stop more pollution from entering the oceans and reduce the negative consequences we will undoubtedly see.

References:

Zambrano-Monserrate, M., Ruano, M., Sanchez-Alcalde, L. 2020. Indirect effects of COVID-19 on the environment. Science of the Total Environment 728.

A Bizarre and Unfamiliar Species: The Catshark

Thu, 22 Oct 2020 23:18:40 GMT

We know about larger shark species, a notable example being the Great white. Some of us have negative thoughts about them, others are fascinated. But what about the bizarre, alien-looking catsharks in the Irish waters, what do we know and how do we feel about them?

Most of us have heard about the larger shark species such as great white sharks, hammerhead sharks, whale sharks, reef sharks etc. because we have learned about them in school or we have seen them in the media.

But what about the bizarre sharks that live in the cold Irish waters, that are found so deep that we cannot see them? What do we know about them? For starters, they are called catsharks. The catsharks can be both alien looking (Figure 1), but some of them are actually pretty cute (Figure 2).

What we know about the catshark is quite limited, and researchers don’t seem to be agreeing on the information that we have available. For example, most online resources state that the catshark is rarely found deeper than 100m, however Weinheimer (2004) found reason to believe that some of the catshark species can reach depths of an astonishing 2000 meters.

There is also uncertainty about the catshark species body size. Some see the shark as a small sized shark that rarely grows larger than 1 meter (Weinheimer, 2004). On the other hand, Bird (2015), caught a false catshark in Scottish waters which measured 2.5 meters and had a weight of 60kg.

To make it even more confusing, some of the catsharks are also called dogfish (Weinheimer, 2004) which does not really make sense, does it?

So, what do we actually know for certain about these unique but bizarre shark species? We have an idea of what species of catshark are found in Irish waters. The background research that was done for this article found that there are at least ten different species of catshark which belong to five different families (Table 1). From the same table, we can also read that all species are listed as least concern (LC) or data deficient (DD) by the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

From Weinheimer (2004) we have learned that most of the catsharks (~90%) are oviparous, which means that they lay eggs, also called “mermaid’s purse’. Yes, some shark species give birth to live young, but others lay eggs! The catshark eggs are developed inside the female, then deposited and attached to a substrate in the water where it continues to grow before the baby shark then makes its way out of the egg.

The largest shark nursery ever recorded in Irish waters revealed thousands of catshark mermaid’s purses at the incredible depth of 750 meters! (Barkham, 2018). The article believes that these eggs belong to the catshark species called black mouth ( Galeus melastomu).

Although catsharks have small teeth, they have up to hundreds of rows of them in each jaw! In some species of catshark, the males and females have different sized and shaped teeth. Weinheimer (2004) explains how this might be the case where the males would have larger teeth than females so that they can grasp the female during courtship.

We don’t know much about the Irish catshark species. But we have an understanding that the different catshark species varies, at least in their body size and their ability to reach different depths.

Bird (2015) discusses the issue that we don’t have the knowledge about the basic biology of the catshark, or of it’s movement or feeding behaviours, so how can we know the impact of deep-sea fisheries and pollution as a possible threat to the species? This raises another question; on what basis can the IUCN Red List be certain of the conservation status of the catshark species when we know so little about them?

Most catsharks are found at locations which makes it hard to observe them naturally and to collect them for research. It does not help that some of them are found at great depths as well. Hence, much more information about the catshark remains to be discovered.

References:

Barkham, P., 2018. Ocean Floor Rover Finds Large Shark Nursery In Irish Waters . The Guardian Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/nov/09/shark-nursery-found-irish-waters-blackmouth-catsharks

Bird, C., 2015. Meet The Ghost Sharks And Deep-Sea Demons That Will Haunt Your
Dreams . The Conversation. Available at: https://theconversation.com/meet-the-ghost-sharks-and-deep-sea-demons-that-will-haunt-your-dreams-49325 .

IUCN 2020. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2020-1. Available at: https://www.iucnredlist.org/

Weinheimer, M., 2004. Scyliorhinidae (Cat Sharks) . Animal Diversity Web. Available at: https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Scyliorhinidae/

The Forgotten Apex Predator.

Fri, 16 Oct 2020 17:33:39 GMT

The Broadnose Sevengill shark (Notorynchus cepedianus), an otherworldly ocean creature from an ancient lineage, isn’t one of the charismatic megafauna species that you see in documentaries or on conservation posters and is often overlooked as an important marine apex predator.

Throughout the world’s oceans there has been a decline in top-level predatory sharks due to anthropogenic threats such as over-fishing and habitat change. Increased human-shark interactions in coastal ecosystems were seen during the 20th century which lead to the public perceiving sharks as dangerous, resulting in near extirpation of some coastal shark species via hunting. It has been suggested that the loss of apex predators is humankind’s most pervasive influence on the natural world, with far reaching ecological effects via trophic downgrading (Hammerschlag et al., 2019). Sharks play a crucial role in structuring food webs and are key components of healthy, stable ecosystems. Conservation efforts are being made to bring awareness to marine apex predators, but not all species are given the same attention.

The Broadnose Sevengill shark is one of those lesser researched, lesser spoken about species. This kelp-based shark is the only existing member of the Notorynchus genus and, as it’s name implies, is recognisable by it’s seven gills (while most sharks only have five). Despite their deceptively docile appearance, these sharks are versatile predators and are known to target a wide range of prey from squid and fish to smaller sharks, marine cetaceans and even seals. This makes them important apex predators in the coastal ecosystems they frequent and without them the stability and matrix of food webs would be altered. However, there are large gaps in our understanding of their ecology, behaviour and movement patterns globally and they are still classified as “Data Deficient” by the IUCN . Sevengill sharks lack any species-specific management strategies, placing them at risk of overexploitation due to their coastal nature and overlap with intensive inshore fisheries.

It is thought that the success of the Broadnose Sevengill shark as an apex predator can be attributed to its diverse diet and the feeding strategies it employs to catch prey. Close examination revealed how opportunistic and versatile the Sevengill shark can be in exploiting food resources (Ebert 1991). Observations on their feeding behaviour revealed that they use multiple foraging strategies to increase their success, including; quick bursts of speed, ambushing their prey and stealth. Social facilitation, team work between two or more of them, is used to hunt for larger prey. They form a loose circle and then close in on their prey. Spy-hopping has also been observed in certain locations. Sevengill sharks hold their heads above the water and look around. It is thought to be an adaptation to aid in the capture of marine mammals. This behaviour is rare among sharks but has been regularly observed in great white sharks.

False Bay, South Africa, is an aggregation site for both Great White ( Carcharodon carcharias ) and Broadnose Sevengill sharks which together fulfil the role of coastal apex predators. They are rarely seen in the same places and act as allopatric (non-overlapping geographic areas) predators in their respective environments. Great White sharks are listed as endangered and therefore are protected in South Africa, but Sevengill sharks are not. Although both species are essential apex predators and negative trophic cascades would be seen if either species were lost, it is surprising that there are not measures in place to protect Sevengill sharks too. Moving forward, wider research and extensive data collection is required in order to learn more about Sevengill sharks and how best to prevent their decline. Species-specific fisheries management needs to be used in tandem with protected areas to prevent overexploitation of this important coastal predator. If measures are not taken we may have to find out the hard way just how important they were to the coastal marine ecosystems that they live in.

References :

Ebert, D. 1991. Observations on the predatory behaviour of the sevengill shark Notorynchus cepedianus , South African Journal of Marine Science, 11:1, 455-465

Hammerschlag, N., Williams, L., Fallows, M., Fallows, C. 2019. Disappearance of white sharks leads to the novel emergence of an allopatric apex predator, the sevengill shark. Nature

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Reference:

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Cosentino, M., Nairn, D., Coscarella, M., Jackson J & Windmill, J., (2022). Acoustic behaviour of a wild solitary common dolphin who interacts with harbour porpoise. Bioacoustics.

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WE NEED YOUR HELP! Please SIGN THE PETITION!

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