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Marine Life & Conservation

Basking Sharks in Cornwall

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Basking sharks are the world’s second largest fish with the Whale shark taking top spot. The name ‘Basking’ comes from its habit of cruising the warmer waters near the surface as if basking in the sun. In fact they are feeding on the plankton that rises near the surface during warmer weather.  The sharks are often seen near the shore with their tell tale dorsal and tail fins cutting the silky waters surface. They can grow up to lengths of around 9 metres and weigh 5 tons or more but even so they are not at all dangerous.  Having said that, of course if you put your hand in its mouth or try to ride its tail then it will panic and by its shear size alone will no doubt do you harm in its attempt to escape.

I recently spent a day out along the south Cornish coast looking for the sharks with Charles Hood, a marine photographer who runs shark watching trips out of Penzance.  With the knowledge that several were spotted the day before, we were confident that we would soon find them and be able to get into the water and snorkel with them. Alas, as the day went on and neared its end they were still nowhere to be found. Charles called other boats in the area and they all said what a great day it was yesterday for the sharks but none spotted today. That’s wildlife for you!

I have had some great encounters with Basking Sharks in Sennen Cove, Cornwall, when I have been out on my surf board. Letting the sharks come to me rather that chase them I have had many along side me with their great gaping mouths sieving out the plankton into their gill rakers.

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I recalled to Charles a very nasty encounter I had early on in my career as a wildlife cameraman when a 6 metre shark was harpooned right in front of my eyes while I was in the water filming it. It may have been my fancy but I could hear the death groans from the shark as it battled hopelessly against the harpoon and its tether to the ship that had fired it.

After an age of struggle and pain the dying shark was hauled up to the boat where its tail was cut off. It was then tied to a buoy and left in the water to die slowly before being hauled aboard and taken back to port.

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The reason for it being so brutally killed was for its liver oil which is 25-30% of its body weight. The oil is very pure and needs little refining and worth a lot of money. Thankfully now the Basking shark is protected by law.

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Just before going back to harbour we pulled into a small cove where I asked Charles about the sharks and the people he took out to see them.

 

Charles:

All sorts really, from those who have never seen a shark before to shark experts. As well as locals I get people from as far away as Hawaii, Canada and Europe. Although a few are youngsters most are in their 40-50s who have photographed sharks before around the world and want to put the Basking shark on their tick list.

Jeff:

Is Cornwall good for basking sharks?

Charles:

Yes generally from Sennen around to the west of the Lizard is best from mid May through to July and sometimes in August we get a second plankton bloom which will keep the sharks around.

Jeff:

Do they come close to the shore?

Charles:

Yes indeed, they will come right into the rocky shoreline as well as the sandy shallows of the holiday beaches.

Jeff:

How long have you been doing this?

Charles:

A good 20 years, 5 of which commercially. In the mid eighties I would come down to Cornwall just snorkelling with the sharks.

Jeff:

Over those 20 years have you noticed any difference in numbers?

Charles:

It’s hard to tell but generally I think they have increased and it seems to be juvenile 3-4 metre sharks we are seeing more of. Where as 20 years ago, you would be seeing more of the 8-9 metre sharks and I can’t really explain why that is.

Jeff:

Any changes in the last 5 years since you have been doing this commercially?

Charles:

Only the weather really. The onset of plankton has come much later as the water has been colder. So instead of the sharks being concentrated over several weeks they are spread out over a several months.

Jeff:

The other week I noticed a small boat harassing a young shark while trying to get close to it. Is there a correct way to approach them?

Charles:

Officially they are a protected species so you should not endanger or harass them in any way. The best way I find is to stay 100 metres or so away and observe how the sharks are behaving and try to predict where the sharks will be in 2 or 3 minutes time. Then that is the place to enter the water if you want to snorkel with them. In this way you are not disturbing the shark’s normal pattern and if you stay still they will swim pass you, often coming back the same way and swimming around in a set pattern. The boat then can remain 50-100 metres away.

Jeff:

How protected are the sharks in the UK?

Charles:

Endangering or harassing the sharks can make you liable to prosecution where the penalties can be quite high, somewhere in the region of £4,000 – £5,000 or 6 months in prison.

Jeff:

How should you act when in the water with the sharks?

Charles:

Once you predict were the shark is going, stay still in the water and let it pass you. If you fin after it then it will probably swim away. They often swim in large circles while feeding and so will come back to you sooner or later.

Jeff:

Are the bigger sharks more approachable?

Charles:

Yes, the larger ones are far less bothered by you being in the water where as the smaller ones around 3 metres or less are more skittish and will swim away.

Jeff:

Is there a future for basking sharks?

Charles:

Yes I think so. We are seeing more each year and the plankton at the moment is looking good. If more countries joined the UK in the protection of these sharks then they could return to a very sustainable population.

 

IMG_3275 600Then, just as we were about to head home, Charles had a call from another boat skipper to say there was a shark just off the rocks near the Minack Theatre. It only took 10 minutes to get there and the shark was still busily feeding in the tide line. The sun was now low and so the light was getting poor underwater but I still had to get in with the shark if possible. With great patience Charles manoeuvred us into a position where he thought the shark would be coming to. I slipped into the water, camera ready. Unfortunately the visibility was not too good but never the less the shark was heading in my direction.  With my face half in, half out of the water I could see the large fin heading straight for me but underwater, not a thing. Then it appeared, only 3 metres away and swimming steadily towards me. No matter how many times I see sharks, it is always a thrill, the excitement of the first encounter, not being too sure if it will come close enough for me take some video, not sure I will spook it and it will turn away. It came closer and I started to film as it glided past me. My excitement rose as I looked into its eye and realised that it was looking directly back at me. Truly a magical moment.

You can find details of trips with Charles at http://charleshood.com/snorkel-with-sharks

Jeff is a multiple award winning, freelance TV cameraman/film maker and author. Having made both terrestrial and marine films, it is the world's oceans and their conservation that hold his passion with over 10.000 dives in his career. Having filmed for international television companies around the world and author of two books on underwater filming, Jeff is Author/Programme Specialist for the 'Underwater Action Camera' course for the RAID training agency. Jeff has experienced the rapid advances in technology for diving as well as camera equipment and has also experienced much of our planet’s marine life, witnessing, first hand, many of the changes that have occurred to the wildlife and environment during that time. Jeff runs bespoke underwater video and editing workshops for the complete beginner up to the budding professional.

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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