|
BRITISH BEACH-GOERS URGED TO WATCH OUT FOR JELLYFISH!
AS the school
holidays begin, the Marine Conservation Society (MCS) is again
calling on British seaside visitors to take part in the national MCS
Jellyfish Survey and report their sightings of these bizarre but
fascinating creatures. Large jellyfish blooms have already been
reported washing up on beaches in England, Scotland and Wales, and
as the UK’s seas warm up during the summer, more jellyfish blooms
are expected.
“This year’s jellyfish season started in April in the Irish
Sea, when barrel jellyfish were reported off the Welsh coast. In May
we started to receive reports of big blooms of the harmless moon
jellyfish from around the UK, and then through June and July, large
numbers of the beautiful blue and compass jellyfish also started to
wash up on our beaches. Blooms of the stinging
Lion’s Mane jellyfish have been recorded in the Irish Sea as well as
on Scotland’s east coast, and a potentially dangerous Portuguese Man
Of War was recorded nr. Land’s End in Cornwall in mid-July. As ever,
we are encouraging holidaymakers to take part in our national
jellyfish survey, but the key message is look, don’t touch!”
said Peter Richardson, MCS Biodiversity Programme Manager.
The MCS Jellyfish Survey aims to uncover the little-known habits of
British jellyfish, as part of a wider programme to find out more
about critically endangered leatherback turtles that migrate
thousands of miles to UK waters to feed on their favourite jellyfish
prey each summer. By mapping where and when the jellyfish are seen,
MCS hopes to understand more about leatherback turtles while they
visit in UK seas.
“Our survey has already recorded some unusual jellyfish events. For
example, last summer we received many reports of the usually rare
Portuguese Man of War washing up on beaches in Devon and Cornwall.
Then in November our volunteers recorded a vast and unseasonal bloom
of the Mauve Stinger jellyfish move into our waters along Britain’s
north west coast. Mauve Stingers can sting quite badly, and have
wreaked havoc at holiday destinations throughout the Mediterranean.
Last years’ Mauve Stinger bloom stretched from Northern Ireland to
the Shetland Islands and severely affected salmon farms off Northern
Ireland and the west coast of Scotland. We are not sure if the Mauve
Stinger bloom was a one-off event, but scientists are predicting
that climate change will result in more jellyfish in UK waters and
the MCS jellyfish survey aims to record these unusual blooms if they
happen again.” said Peter Richardson.
MCS is interested in the six larger jellyfish and two jellyfish-like
species likely to be encountered around the UK coast that are known
to be leatherback prey. This year British beach-goers and sea-users
are encouraged to record their jellyfish encounters at
www.mcsuk.org, where a free MCS
jellyfish identification guide can also be downloaded. Paper copies
of the ID guide and forms are also available on request, however MCS
advises the public to take care during the survey.
Over 5,000 jellyfish encounters have been reported since the MCS
Survey was launched in 2003. The survey data will be fully analysed
in collaboration with the University of Exeter's Centre for Ecology
& Conservation, but initial analysis of these public reports is
already showing interesting differences in the distribution of the
larger jellyfish species around Britain (see table.)
|
Jellyfish
Species |
Medical Danger
|
Distribution |
This year’s records |
|
Barrel |
(harmless) |
Blooms largely restricted to the Firth of Clyde, Solway Firth and
Irish Sea, but strays are recorded further south. |
 |
Large blooms off Wales in April.
(More info.) |
|
Lion’s Mane |
(powerful
sting)
|
Northern seas, not usually recorded south of the Irish Sea or
Northumberland.
|
 |
Reported in Irish Sea from May onwards, off the east coast of
Scotland in June, and one as far south as Bacton, Norfolk in
mid-July.
(More info.) |
|
Blue |
(mild
sting)
|
Entire UK coast.
|
 |
Started to bloom around the UK coast in June, continuing through
July.
(More info.) |
|
Compass |
(mild
sting)
|
Entire UK coast.
|
 |
Started to bloom around the UK coast in June, continuing through
July.
(More info.) |
|
Moon |
(harmless)
|
Entire UK coast. |
 |
Started to bloom around the UK coast in May,
continuing through July.
(More info.) |
|
Mauve
stinger
|
(powerful
sting)
|
Occasionally reported from the Channel Islands & SW England, large
unseasonal bloom of western UK in 2007.
|
 |
No UK
records so far, although large blooms reported in parts of the
Mediterranean.
(More info.) |
|
Portuguese Man Of War |
(dangerous sting) |
Occasionally recorded from South West coast – in summer 2007 many
were recorded there. Has been known to be in the Irish Sea. |
 |
One
record of a small specimen found at Sennen beach,
Cornwall on the 11 July 2008.
(More info.) |
One thing to take to the beach in the UK is a
packet of table Vinegar. If you do get stung by one of the very mild
stinging jellyfish, by putting vinegar on
the sting, it helps to calm it and neutralise the jellyfish sting.
But if consider getting medical advice. If you get stung by
one of the more dangerous jellyfish, get medical advice as quickly
as you can. Make a not of the time, location and if you can a
description of the jellyfish, to aid in any treatment that might be
required.
Taking part in the
jellyfish survey is easy!
The full-colour MCS
jellyfish photo-ID guide can be downloaded from
www.mcsuk.org where jellyfish encounters can be
reported online. Alternatively, if beach goers want a paper copy of
the ID guide and recording forms, they are available on request from
the MCS office on 01989 566017 or by emailing
info@mcsuk.org. |
La Montaña Llamea at
the Latin Lounge
Report and photos by Patrick
Trollope.
THESE two are a duet to keep an
eye out for Paul Mullem and Rick Burroughs, are still learning and
do have a few issues with their vocal range to iron out, but their
finger work on their guitars is well above the norm, frequently
offered in bars. I can not help think though, that both of them have
a Bonjovy style of performance, so it will be interesting to see
just how far they will go in the music business. They are not only
talented, but they have a fantastic sense of humour to boot;
something that is lacking in a lot of local bands in the North West,
of late. In my view, if they can find a suitable singer, female or
male, they will be a force to be reckoned with. Don't get me wrong,
these lads are still fantastic as they are, but there is still, in
my view, room for improvement. What is astounding is to see even at
this very early stage in the band's development, that they have a
following which many local bands would be envious of, and rightly
so. They are highly entertaining and for a bar band, they are well
above the standard usually heard in these venues. My view is that,
with a bit of help, they can still go up a few more notches in the
music business, both easily and quickly. So, if you see their names
in a venue near you, get in and hear them play now. You never know,
you might very soon be finding that you will have to pay big bucks
to hear them play, especially if they get a good manager behind
them. I have heard them twice now in the Latin Lounge, on Post
Office Ave. in Southport and both times they have captured my
attention. You can see and hear them developing between performances
as they become more confident. If you do not know:- "La Montaña Llamea" translates to
"The Mountain Flames".
Carnival '08
THIS is the 1st Rio style
Carnival event in Liverpool with a sea of costume, colour,
glittering floats and of course music taking to the streets. Groups from all over the UK, Europe and
Brazil are taking part. The actual parade starts at 8:30pm and
will finish at around 10pm in Chinatown, and then we will continue
with a Carnival Party at the New Picket, Jordan Street, in the
Independent District, until the early hours. You can view the parade from a whole
host of venues along the route. Musicians and
performers include:-
Mangueira, Brazil. Rio De
Janeiro's oldest Samba school, joining us from their European tour
to celebrate Liverpool's Capital of Culture Parade.
Paraiso, London. President
Henrique Da Silva is bringing 150 of their musicians and dancers.
Also the parade are:-
-
Manchester School of Samba
- Republic of Swing
- Energia Do Brasil, Holland
- Oxiris
- Suffolk School of Samba
- Masamba, Ireland
- Brasil Tropical, Germany
- Grupo Arte Nossa, Spain
- Carnival Club UK
- LIPA Dancers
- NLA Dancers
- Liverpool Community College......
The Liverpool
Samba School, perfor4mers artists and volunteers.
Carnival '08 is supported by the
Liverpool Culture Co Ltd as part of the European Capital of Culture
Programme
www.carnival.org.uk.
Liverpool Carnival Co Ltd. Reg. No:-
6208453. Registered Charity No:- 1123036 |
