News
Fall in love with the Super-Dads of the Sea
Worthing’s amazing underwater world revealed this Valentine’s Day
Each spring thousands of Super-Dads migrate across the sea to Worthing in one of nature’s most spectacular events – the trouble is, almost no one knows about it. Welcome to Worthing’s underwater nursery run by a fatherly fish – the black sea bream!
All this will change on Valentine’s Day, with the launch of a brand new interactive, public exhibition ‘Worthing’s Super-Dads of the Sea’ and website Kingmere Marine Conservation Zone. They tell the story of the spectacular black bream breeding migration to the Kingmere reef, just off Worthing, as well as all the other amazing marine wildlife that lives there, and the local people who use and love the reef.
‘Worthing’s Super Dads of the Sea’ will immerse you in stunning images and film of the black bream dads, who build nests and guard the eggs, as well as Kingmere’s fragile chalk reefs, sharks, lobsters, crabs, Ross corals, multi-coloured sea slugs and a whole host of amazing marine life that live right on Worthing’s doorstep – a reef so colourful, you won’t believe it’s in Sussex!
‘Worthing’s Super Dads of the Sea’ exhibition will be launched on February 12th at Worthing’s Colonnade House, and the Kingmere Marine Conservation Zone website will be launched on valentine’s day (14th February) at the exhibition. The website will be available at: www.kingmeremcz.uk . There will be experts on hand to guide visitors through the reef and answer any questions, and there will be a craft corner for kids of all ages to create a glorious model Kingmere reef during the exhibition.
The Marine Conservation Society’s Alice Tebb, who has organised the exhibition says:
“We are hoping that lots of local people will come along to the exhibition to learn about the amazing underwater landscape on their doorstep. The exhibition will show for the first time incredible photos and film from the 2018 black bream breeding season, images captured by a team of volunteer photographers who went out to explore the Kingmere reef during the spring and autumn of 2018. The website also introduces some of the local people who have a strong connection to the site – including fishermen, divers and anglers – and tells the story of why they treasure the precious Kingmere Marine Conservation Zone.”
The Kingmere Marine Conservation Zone lies four miles off the West Sussex coastline, south of the River Arun at Littlehampton and off Worthing Pier. It covers an area of 47km2 and hosts a rich abundance of marine habitats and wildlife in waters ranging from 6 to 19 m deep. Kingmere MCZ is treasured by local fishermen, anglers and divers who regularly visit the site.’Worthing’s Super-Dads of the Sea’ is a free exhibition at Colonnade House, Worthing and runs from the 12th to the 24th of February 2019. The website will be launched on February 14th at the exhibition.
Worthing’s Super-Dads of the Sea is funded by the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, as part of the Agents of Change project, an initiative led by the UK’s leading marine charity – the Marine Conservation Society (MCS), Fauna and Flora International and the New Economics Foundation. This exhibition is supported by Sussex Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority, Sussex Wildlife Trust and Lafarge Tarmac. The Kingmere website is created in partnership with the Angling Trust and funded by The Rampion Fund at the Sussex Community Foundation.
Images credits: Matt Doggett – www.mattdoggett.com
For more information about the work of the MCS please visit their website by clicking here.
News
Euro-Divers to close dive centre at NH Collection Maldives Havodda
Euro-Divers have announced that as of 15 April 2024, they will no longer be operating the dive centre at NH Collection Maldives Havodda (formerly known as Amari Havodda).
The popular dive centre chain released this statement regarding the closure:
Dear valid customers, business partners and friends,
We are leaving NH Collection Maldives Havodda – former Amari Havodda as of 15th of April 2024.
Unfortunately, the information reached us on short notice that we are no longer operating the dive centre at the resort.
It was a great pleasure to work with the Amari Hotel group and continue to work with the NH Hotel group.
We wish our partners great success with all their new changes.
Thanks a lot for cooperating during our time at the resort. We wish everyone with whom we have worked a good and hopefully successful future.
Euro-Divers continue to operate in several other dive resorts throughout the Maldives in addition to other locations.
To finds out more about Euro-Divers, visit www.euro-divers.com.
Marine Life & Conservation Blogs
Creature Feature: Undulate Ray
In this series, the Shark Trust will be sharing amazing facts about different species of sharks and what you can do to help protect them.
This month we’re looking at the Undulate Ray. Easily identified by its beautiful, ornate pattern, the Undulate Ray gets its name from the undulating patterns of lines and spots on its dorsal side.
This skate is usually found on sandy or muddy sea floors, down to about 200 m deep, although it is more commonly found shallower. They can grow up to 90 cm total length. Depending on the size of the individual, their diet can range from shrimps to crabs.
Although sometimes called the Undulate Ray, this is actually a species of skate, meaning that, as all true skates do, they lay eggs. The eggs are contained in keratin eggcases – the same material that our hair and nails are made up of! These eggcases are also commonly called mermaid’s purses and can be found washed up on beaches all around the UK. If you find one, be sure to take a picture and upload your find to the Great Eggcase Hunt – the Shark Trust’s flagship citizen science project.
It is worth noting that on the south coasts, these eggcases can be confused with those of the Spotted Ray, especially as they look very similar and the ranges overlap, so we sometimes informally refer to them as ‘Spundulates’.
Scientific Name: Raja undulata
Family: Rajidae
Maximum Size: 90cm (total length)
Diet: shrimps and crabs
Distribution: found around the eastern Atlantic and in the Mediterranean Sea.
Habitat: shelf waters down to 200m deep.
Conservation Status : As a commercially exploited species, the Undulate Ray is a recovering species in some areas. The good thing is that they have some of the most comprehensive management measures of almost any elasmobranch species, with both minimum and maximum landing sizes as well as a closed season. Additionally, targeting is entirely prohibited in some areas. They are also often caught as bycatch in various fisheries – in some areas they can be landed whilst in others they must be discarded.
IUCN Red List Status: Endangered
For more great shark information and conservation visit the Shark Trust Website
Image Credits: Banner – Sheila Openshaw; Illustration – Marc Dando
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