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Marine Life & Conservation

Breeding at Blue Planet

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Breeding in the main tank at Blue Planet

Here at Blue Planet Aquarium we have many animals that live in our main tank, everything from our Sand Tigers all the way down to our Goliath Grouper. But there are a few animals in our main tank that breed on a more than Regular basis. In this article we are going to talk about three of them.

The first one is instantly recognisable as it is one of our signature animals, the Southern Atlantic Stingray. This species can grow up to nearly 5 feet across, with males being significantly smaller at around 2 feet across. Here at Blue Planet we have six adult stingrays, one male and five females with many of their offspring in a separate section of the tank. There are two main females who are breeding, and their names are “Big Bertha” and “Greedy” and we usually expect a litter from each between July and August, this can be anything between 2 – 6 pups on average per litter.

When we find pups in the tank we immediately drop whatever task we’re doing at the time and grab the ray nets (a specially designed flat net that can zip-up) in order to catch them. Every time we catch a pup we will keep going back into the tank until we’re satisfied that all pups have been captured. In the immediate days following the initial birth we will keep our eyes out for any other pups that may appear during the next few days.

Once captured the animals are placed in quarantine which is separate from the main exhibit. They’re kept here for around 6 weeks just so they get used to hand feeding and so that they can grow slightly before they go into the reef section, which is a smaller section of the main tank away from the larger sharks. The animals are kept until they’re large enough to either be moved to a different collection or go on display.

The next animal is probably the least noticed by our guests, it’s a small fish called a Sergeant-Major Damselfish. In the last year we’ve had an unbelievable number of clutches of such a vast amount that we’re finding new nests every day. The way in which they breed is quite fascinating.

Sergeant-Major Damselfish males lure females in with audio cues and “Signal Jumping” – this is where the male will swim erratically up and down, once the female has been attracted they will both change from their light blueish-green colour and turn almost completely dark blue until you can barely see their stripes, and males will develop a bright white patch on his cheek.

The female will lay up to 20,000 eggs and apparently there can be up to four females that add to any one clutch. Both males and females perform a kind of Ballet when laying eggs as they spin around with a head to tail position and then the female breaks away to deposit her eggs and as she finishes a clutch the male descends to fertilise them, this happens until all the eggs have been laid. The eggs are laid to the side of rocks and corals, usually on the roof of overhangs to maximise protection.

Males will guard their clutch ferociously and are now known by the dive team as the most aggressive animal in the tank; they’ve even been seen attacking the Sand Tigers (even though it doesn’t seem to bother them). Males will then spend the next 5-7 days of the gestation period constantly guarding and aerating them to stop fungus from settling on the eggs which would kill them, and just before hatching the eyes on the larvae turn a green colour.

Unfortunately due to the nature of the tank and larvae, we are still trying to figure out how we can harvest the fry to rear them in quarantine but unfortunately you need to be there at the moment they hatch and that usually happens at night. We have placed terracotta tiles in the tank to try and entice them to lay eggs on them so that they can be harvested. Even though we’re still trying to figure out how to harvest them it appears nature is best as we’ve actually seen young fish thriving in the main exhibit.

The final animal is the most cryptic of them all and this is of course  Bamboo Sharks. These Sharks spend most of their days sleeping in caves, holes and under overhangs; they’re shy until feeding time and then they’re our best friends. This Shark species lays eggs called “Egg cases/Mermaids Purses” and they lay their eggs around stems of coral or around rockwork. They do this by swimming very quickly over rockwork until the threads of the egg “hook” onto the rocks or coral and then they immediately swim quickly around in big circle causing the egg to slowly be pulled out and wrapped up against the piece of rockwork.

Now this is where the egg would stay if we didn’t find it, but once we find an egg we check them by “candling the egg” which is simply holding up to the light or shining a torch through it; if we see a yolk then it’s a viable egg. There are times we do this and see a shark pup still developing inside which is always a true joy to see. Once we’ve checked the egg is viable, we remove it and place it in our Shark hatchery to develop. The gestation period is usually around 4-5 months, but we check the progress by candling them just to monitor how they’re doing. When they hatch, they have very striking black and white stripes which are used to mimic White-Banded Sea Snakes, as these snakes in their native Indian Ocean habitat would be avoided by most predators (Zebra Sharks also use this form of mimicry). The pups stay in the hatchery until they’re around 10-12 inches long and are trained to feed from your hands and then we move them to another collection.

So, there you have it: Three amazing animals that breed in just our main tank exhibit alone. We do have many other breeding projects here at Blue Planet Aquarium which I’ll be covering in future blog posts.

For more information please visit the Blue Planet Aquarium website by clicking here.


Follow Donovan on Instagram at www.instagram.com/donovans_reefs

Donovan is a Divemaster who currently works as a Shark Diver at Blue Planet Aquarium based in Ellesmere Port. Donovan’s passion lies with Elasmobranch’s (Sharks & Rays) and this passion has led him to work in South Africa with White Sharks for a short period. He also believes that education through exposure is the best way to re-educate people about Sharks. Follow Donovan at www.instagram.com/donovans_reefs

Marine Life & Conservation

New report shows simple measures needed to cut beach plastic pollution

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The Marine Conservation Society has launched its annual State of our Beaches 2023 report, highlighting the need for less single-use plastic items and more refillable options.

The charity’s beach cleaning programme, now in its 30th year, asks volunteers to record all litter that they find within a 100-metre stretch of beach. By gathering vital data from across the UK and Channel Islands, the charity creates change for cleaner seas and a healthier planet through policy and industry change. Last year, over 148 kilometres of beach were surveyed by volunteers, who removed 17,208kgs of litter from our coast.

Using data collected by over 14,000 volunteers, the State of our Beaches 2023 report shows that half of all litter collected came from public sources – either dumped, blown or washed onto our beaches.

Drinks-related litter, such as plastic bottles, caps and cans were one of the most found items, with an average of 16 found per 100 metres of beach surveyed. This figure is up 14% compared to the charity’s 2022 report.

Plastics caps and lids were recorded on 89% of surveys, with over 30,000 found in total. Plastic bottles were also commonly collected, with 73% of surveys finding this single-use item – a 4% increase compared to 2022. The charity’s inland litter pick survey, Source to Sea, also reported finding plastic bottles on 92% of cleans.

However, the charity’s State of Our Beaches 2023 report also indicates that some types of litter are on a downward trend. Although still in the top 10 litter items, disposable plastic cutlery, trays and straws were found on 5% fewer beaches across the UK, showing that bans on these plastic items between 2022 – 2023 could be working. The presence of plastic cotton bud sticks also dropped by 14%.

Lizzie Price, Beachwatch Manager at the Marine Conservation Society, said, “Half of the litter found on our beaches originates from public sources, underscoring the pressing issue of single-use plastic. Evidence shows that refillable alternatives and litter return schemes effectively reduce rubbish, as demonstrated by the decline our data has shown in items like plastic bags and disposable cutlery.

“Urgent and decisive action from UK governments is needed to accelerate our shift towards a circular economy, where we reuse, repair and recycle. The public needs greater access to refillable products and systems need to be implemented in which manufacturers are responsible for their waste.”

Governments across the UK have committed to delivering deposit return schemes from October 2025. However, the proposed scheme in England does not include glass items, despite glass being found on 52% of beaches in 2023. The charity is calling for governments across the UK to introduce compatible all inclusive deposit return schemes as soon as possible. This would see aluminium cans, and plastic and glass bottles have a 20p deposit which would be returned when recycled which would reduce drinks-related pollution.

Businesses are, however, starting to take refillable and reusable options into their own hands. Supermarket chain, Aldi, the largest corporate funder of the charity’s 2024 Beachwatch programme, is already leading the charge in refillable items by trialling refillable options for cereals and porridge oats in their stores over the past 5 months.

Plastics and Packaging Director, Luke Emery, from Aldi, who are running 4 beach cleans for staff and volunteers in 2024, said, We are continually working to reduce single-use plastics and packaging, and making unpackaged product options more commonplace for our customers is a key part of this. We are really pleased with the uptake of our refillable range so far by customers. Not only are we making sustainable shopping more accessible, but we also offer refill products for a better price than the packaged alternative, helping our customers save money.”

Marine litter is one of the biggest threats to our seas, with plastic breaking down over time into microplastics and threatening marine life which can ingest or become entangled in them. The Marine Conservation Society is urging the UK Government to move faster on its policies to cut down plastic waste and prevent items from reaching our seas.

To find out more about the charity’s beach cleans and how to get involved, please visit mcsuk.org/beach-cleans

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Guarding Against Coral Invaders

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Protecting (Dutch) Caribbean Reefs from Unomia stolonifera

Recent reports highlight the concerning spread of the invasive soft coral, Unomia stolonifera, currently devastating Venezuela’s marine ecosystems and detected in Cuba. With the potential threat of its expansion to the (Dutch) Caribbean islands, urgent action and awareness are essential to safeguard marine biodiversity and local economies from possible catastrophic consequences.

Invasive species are animals or plants from another region of the world that don’t belong in their new environment. These species can have major ecological effects by decimating native flora or fauna. They can also cause large economic losses and impact human health. Invasive species also pose a significant threat to marine ecosystems worldwide, including the Dutch Caribbean. Among these invaders is the octocoral species Unomia stolonifera or “Pulsing Xenia”, originally from the Indo-Pacific. With its rapid growth and lack of natural predators, this species can outcompete native species and disrupt fragile marine habitats such as seagrass beds and coral reefs.

Background

The invasive soft coral U. stolonifera was first identified in 2014, off the coast of Venezuela. It is believed to have been introduced via the illegal aquarium trade.  Since this species can reproduce sexually and asexually (or fragment), even small pieces can regenerate to spread.  Once introduced it quickly took over shallow reefs and hard substrate at depths of 0-50 meters, outcompeting local corals and seagrass for space.  Follow on surveys found that this coral species exhibited average percentage cover as high as 80%, vastly outcompeting native corals. In highly colonized areas, fish are disappearing due to loss of habitats.

In 2022, during a survey conducted in Cuba by the University of Havana, an unknown octocoral was discovered which was later identified as the invasive Unomia stolonifera. It is suspected that the coral larvae arrived in ballast water from fossil fuel ships originating from Venezuela, as nearby sites adjacent to Venezuelan ports have been heavily affected by the invasion.

How to help

Prevention through continuous monitoring, particularly in high-risk areas such as marine harbors and oil facilities, is paramount. Early detection plays a pivotal role in mitigating the threat posed by Unomia stolonifera.

The public’s involvement and awareness are also vital. Local communities, recreational divers, tourists, and all stakeholders are urged to participate in early detection efforts by reporting sightings (photo, location and date) of this invasive coral to their respective Protected Area Management Organization (PMO’s)- the Fundacion Parke Nacional Aruba (FPNA)STINAPA BonaireCARMABI Curaçao Saba Conservation Foundation (SCF)Nature Foundation St. Maarten (NFSXM) and St. Eustatius National Parks (STENAPA). If an invaded area is confirmed, follow the recommendations by the local PMO’s.

Keys to Success

Despite the challenges, early detection is key to mitigating the threat posed by Unomia stolonifera. With continued vigilance, research, and community engagement, there is hope for containing this potential issue before it becomes a major threat.

About the DCNA

The Dutch Caribbean Nature Alliance (DCNA) supports (science) communication and outreach in the Dutch Caribbean region by making nature related (scientific) information more widely available through amongst others the Dutch Caribbean Biodiversity Database, DCNA’s news platform BioNews and through the press. This article contains the results from several scientific studies but the studies themselves are not DCNA studies. No rights can be derived from the content. DCNA is not liable for the content and the in(direct) impacts resulting from publishing this article.

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