News
The Great Eggcase Hunt goes underwater!
Since 2003, the Great Eggcase Hunt (GEH) has been encouraging the public to hunt for shark, skate and ray eggcases that have washed up along the UK’s coastline. Despite these records providing a remarkable amount of information on the distribution of egg-laying (oviparous) elasmobranchs, eggcases that are washed up on the shoreline do not always provide a true indication of where they were laid, as ocean currents can carry them some distance. Eggcases Underwater is a spin off from the GEH project, providing a new approach to eggcase hunting.
There are 13 different shark, skate and ray species that are known to commonly lay their eggs around the British Isles, 10 species of skates/rays and 3 species of sharks. These species produce a single embryo inside an eggcase capsule (often called a ‘mermaid’s purse’) and deposit this on the seabed or attach it to seaweed. Once deposited, the shark, skate or ray will take up to 12 months to fully develop inside this capsule.
The eggcases from different species are a variety of sizes and shapes. The two more commonly found shark eggcases feature curled tendrils that allow the female to attach the capsule to a macroalgae as it develops. While a feature of skate/ray eggcases includes a distinctive horn extending from each corner of the rectangular case, allowing the skate/ray to lay its egg on the seabed concealed by rocks, sand, and gravel. When first laid the catshark eggcases in particular are easily distinguishable by their light colour and transparency. Overtime they become camouflaged by fouling species and are often difficult to spot.
The distribution of many shark, skate and ray species is changing and for many species declining. Eggcases Underwater needs your help to improve our knowledge of the distribution of oviparous elasmobranchs, their egglaying grounds, and the types of substrates that different species lay on. If you see an eggcase underwater, please take a note of the approximate location of your sighting and, if possible, take a photograph. You can then record details of your eggcase via the online recording form at www.sharktrust.org/recordyoureggcase or by downloading the app (Android/iOS). Your sightings can help improve the Shark Trust’s understanding of oviparous sharks, skates and rays, which could in turn benefit the conservation, management and protection for these species and their egglaying grounds!
Author: Tegan Consol
For more information, please visit www.sharktrust.org/en/eggcases_underwater.
Over the next 12 months, specialist scuba holiday company Dive Worldwide will be supporting Bite-Back Shark & Marine Conservation with donations collected from client bookings to any one of its stunning dive destinations around the world. The independently-owned operator expects to raise £3000 for the UK charity.
Manager at Dive Worldwide, Phil North, said: “We’re especially excited to work with Bite-Back and support its intelligent, creative and results-driven campaigns to end the UK trade in shark products and prompt a change in attitudes to the ocean’s most maligned inhabitant.”
Bite-Back is running campaigns to hold the media to account on the way it reports shark news along with a brand new nationwide education programme. Last year the charity was credited for spearheading a UK ban on the import and export of shark fins.
Campaign director at Bite-Back, Graham Buckingham, said: “We’re enormously grateful to Dive Worldwide for choosing to support Bite-Back. The company’s commitment to conservation helps set it apart from other tour operators and we’re certain its clients admire and respect that policy. For us, the affiliation is huge and helps us look to the future with confidence we can deliver against key conservation programmes.”
To launch the fundraising initiative, Phil North presented Graham Buckingham with a cheque for £1,000.
Visit Dive Worldwide to discover its diverse range of international scuba adventures and visit Bite-Back to learn more about the charity’s campaigns.
MORE INFORMATION
Call Graham Buckingham on 07810 454 266 or email graham@bite-back.com
Free Octopus with every purchase of a SCUBAPRO regulator system
Just in time for the spring season, divers can save money with the FREE OCTOPUS SPRING PROMOTION! Until July 31st SCUBAPRO offers an Octopus for free
with every purchase of a regulator system!
Get a free S270 OCTOPUS with purchase of these combinations:
MK25 EVO or MK19 EVO with A700
MK25 EVO or MK19 EVO with S620Ti
MK25 EVO or MK19 EVO with D420
MK25 EVO Din mit S620Ti-X
Get a free R105 OCTOPUS with purchase of the following combinations:
MK25 EVO or MK19 EVO with G260
MK25 EVO or MK17 EVO with S600
SCUBAPRO offers a 30-year first owner warranty on all regulators, with a revision period of two years or 100 dives. All SCUBAPRO regulators are of course certified according to the new European test standard EN250-2014.
Available at participating SCUBAPRO dealers. Promotion may not be available in all regions. Find an authorized SCUBAPRO Dealer at scubapro.com.
More information available on www.scubapro.com.
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