Comment posted Tomorrow marine biologists start tracking sharks basking around Tiree, Coll and Hyskeir by Dr Douglas McKenzie.
On seeing lots of Cyanea capillata on a beach on Arran today (Lion’s Mane Jellyfish) I suggested to my elder daughter that it was probably the time of year for “plague of jellyfish” stories in the press. Every year, without fail there are stories about jellyfish swarms as being remarkable despite their annual recurrence.
Basking sharks are no different I see (and who can resist a story about these huge elasmobranchs). I remember as an undergraduate in the late 70′s/early 80′s watching some fairly hair raising film of shark tagging by the team from Millport Marine Station led by the then Dr Geoff Moore (now, and rightly so, Prof – a man who has always looked like the Larson rendition of God). This early satellite tagging showed that the sharks returned to warmer (and deeper) waters in the winter off Spain (from memory) where they were thought to breed.
Good stories from these studies included the American satellite trackers reporting a shark moving at 70 mph up the middle of the UK (a tag had been found by a fisherman and was being returned in a lorry) and the interesting theory that basking shark numbers had never recovered from the WW2 habit of RAF pilots shooting them up for anti-submarine practise (though the Donegal and Gavin Maxwell fisheries probably didn’t do the populations much good either).
Sadly, despite perfect conditions this week, I didn’t see any while I was on Arran as I’m sure my two daughters would have experienced the same thrill I did when I saw my first Basking Shark in Carradale Harbour sometime in the 1960′s.
Hopefully the current SNH study will further our knowledge of these magnificent giants.
Recent comments by Dr Douglas McKenzie
- Rustle with Russell
More utter rubbish from Lynda Henderson. Have you actually spoken to Bob Allen? Whoever told you the story sold you a pup and in your arrogance you cannot admit to be wrong so you make up this story that he was persuaded not to resign.Your position is completely untenable.
- Russell back in the bathtub, now trying to sink Keith Brown’s boat
I’m afraid you condemn yourself by your own words. I don’t think that anyone reading what you have written here and the language you have used would conclude anything other than that you have a deep dislike for Mr Russell and that dislike is leading you to basically lose all sense of either proportion or impartiality. It doesn’t matter how well (or otherwise) you know Mr Russell you are clearly exercised by your interpretation of his actions and it is leading you well beyond the pale in what I would consider fair comment.This vendetta against Mr Russell and the SNP is destroying FA’s credibility and I have to confess that I’m seriously considering whether or not to continue reading FA (which will cheer Malcolm up if nothing else). I for one am becoming increasingly disenchanted by the constant negativity and sheer nastiness that has crept into this blog. I say that with a lot more sorrow than anger because I think that FA could have been great and indeed still could but there has to be a degree of balance, civility and indeed humour. All we are getting here is bile and it is causing me heartburn.
- Russell back in the bathtub, now trying to sink Keith Brown’s boat
To be honest, this post clearly shows that you are speaking from your personal dislike of Mr Russell rather than an unbiased analysis of the man. Phrases such as “publicity hungry coward” are well beyond what is reasonable comment. - Russell back in the bathtub, now trying to sink Keith Brown’s boat
You don’t seem to understand the separation of a MSP’s duty to his or her constituency and their responsibilities as a Government Minister.Yet again, this is another instance where a member of the Government can do no right: speak up and be condemned as “desperate” or stay silent and be accused of not serving your constituents’ interests.
It is just as well that Mr Russell has broad shoulders!
- Atlantic Islands Centre for Luing: biggest investment in island’s history
Well done Luing – an inspiration to all of Argyll’s communities.
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“This is the start of the objective science we need to underpin our thinking and decision taking in on and offshore renewables”.
Such a shame that SNH did not get their act together sooner. All (except SNH ?) know that the Basking Shark season…especially in the waters around Tiree and Coll begins in May, and this year there were more than is normally reported. On this basis we would hope that next year and the year after the same procedures will be inplace…in a timely manner of course.
“The tagging work will help determine if an MPA is an appropriate way to safeguard these magnificent animals” or this can be read as will an MPA go ahead and can it stop the Argyll aka Tiree Array. An inappropriate way to safeguard these endangered animals is obviously to build a power station in there breeding grounds…you do not need a study to see this.
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As I type this I can see at least 5 basking sharks 50-150m off the shore in front of my house on Tiree. I think they are part of the same pod which has been around this particular spot for the last few days. Yesterday I counted 14 basking sharks, and earlier in the morning,I had the most magnificent of sights, a whale’s tail arching through air as it dived.
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Can the sharks be harnessed to produce energy ?
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They used to be rendered down for oil !
the chinese/japanese cut their fins off for treats.
Interesting that the BBC is now running with the story.
http://www.bbc.news.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-18810757
Methinks SPR have some major worries.watch this space
Karl
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On seeing lots of Cyanea capillata on a beach on Arran today (Lion’s Mane Jellyfish) I suggested to my elder daughter that it was probably the time of year for “plague of jellyfish” stories in the press. Every year, without fail there are stories about jellyfish swarms as being remarkable despite their annual recurrence.
Basking sharks are no different I see (and who can resist a story about these huge elasmobranchs). I remember as an undergraduate in the late 70′s/early 80′s watching some fairly hair raising film of shark tagging by the team from Millport Marine Station led by the then Dr Geoff Moore (now, and rightly so, Prof – a man who has always looked like the Larson rendition of God). This early satellite tagging showed that the sharks returned to warmer (and deeper) waters in the winter off Spain (from memory) where they were thought to breed.
Good stories from these studies included the American satellite trackers reporting a shark moving at 70 mph up the middle of the UK (a tag had been found by a fisherman and was being returned in a lorry) and the interesting theory that basking shark numbers had never recovered from the WW2 habit of RAF pilots shooting them up for anti-submarine practise (though the Donegal and Gavin Maxwell fisheries probably didn’t do the populations much good either).
Sadly, despite perfect conditions this week, I didn’t see any while I was on Arran as I’m sure my two daughters would have experienced the same thrill I did when I saw my first Basking Shark in Carradale Harbour sometime in the 1960′s.
Hopefully the current SNH study will further our knowledge of these magnificent giants.
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