Marine Biology Review - Spring 2008

Recently the Section has been chiefly occupied with consultation on Environment Department Codes and Reports, namely: "The Puffin and other seabirds report", "Ecréhous Management Plan" and a "Marine & Coastal Code of Conduct". This is leading up to the long overdue "Coastal Zone Management Strategy 2005" which is due to be published imminently. These papers often illustrate the difficulty in Jersey when we have to reconcile conservation with growing exploitation, and the need to obtain further information of the ecological impact of our actions.

The "Seashore Amble around St Aubin" was well attended and we were grateful that Connétable Mike Jackson took up our invitation and gave us a very informative and detailed run down of current Parish plans for the area which did not include large scale reclamation. The walk highlighted how important the area was not only for the Bay, but for the Island as a whole.

During Autumn the Section received the following reports: two Portuguese man-o-war Physalia physalia on the north-west coast. Tuna species observed off the south coast. And in the town harbour a large sea hare Aplysia fasciata a species at its extreme northern limit and known to have a liking for sea lettuce. This species is much larger than our more common sea hare Aplysia punctata that we see on the low water spring tides and also known for its purple ink which it ejects when distressed, the Section is also interested in this species as its appearance is not regular and its seasonal occurrence and abundance appears to differ from year to year.

French colleagues of the Groupe d’études des cétacés du Cotentin (GECC) reported a dead Grey seal Halichoerus grypus with net embedded in its neck on the beach near Port Bail on the 4th of February, and we were able to confirm that this seal was one of three seals with netting known to us, this seal was first observed at Les Ecréhous in 2001 as a juvenile, and that is where it was observed alive in October. Female Grey seals reach there full size at 11 years of age, and live to over thirty years of age, so this seal had died prematurely probably due to the net. As part of "World Ocean Day" www.worldocenday.com on Sunday, June 8th, the Section will lead a "seashore safari" meeting at Le Hocq Tower at 3.00pm.

The Section meets on the first Monday of the month in the Arthur Mourant Room at 8.00pm.

Nick Jouault – Chairman