We look to our seafood to be tasty and nutritious, but Karl Dean of Cefas (Centre for Environmental Fisheries and Aquaculture Science) showed Coastwise members how, without constant monitoring, it can be seriously unhealthy. He divided his talk into three
The Coastwise AGM was a Wind-Up…….
…….to the Autumn 2019 programme of talks, but it was expertly managed to last just 15 minutes. A number of members then gave short talks on their own topic. Glenis Beardsley gave a harrowing account of her trip to Skomer,
Photo Fiends…..
Coastwise held its annual photo competition, this year dedicated to the memory of Chris Mandry, whose excellent talks and underwater pictures gave members such pleasure. The joint winners are pictured (R). The Spiny Starfish is by Janice Whittington, and the
Seaweed Sleuthing, or Phycological Phascination……
In Victorian England. Our very own Sarah Hotchkiss, herself a professional phycologist, gave us a very interesting talk today about Victorian women who studied seaweed and made amazing collections and in some cases wrote books about seaweed. In Victorian times,
What Makes a Citizen of the Sea ?
………is what PhD student Pamela Buchan wants to find out. She's had a long love affair with the sea, starting with a Marine Biology degree, and research into ragworm perception of night and day. A period with the British Science
The Last Few Minutes………
of geological time is the way Dr Jenny Bennett describes her particular interest in the last 2.7M years – the Quarternary Period. This period held the latest of a long line of glaciations, and has shaped the landscape that surrounds
A Guide to Rockpooling…….
…….is the name of Stevel Trewhella and Julie Hatcher's new book. There's no shortage of identification guides, but Julie and Steve share their huge experienece of finding and identifying the contents of rockpools with Coastwise members. There's a lot of
Puffin Island……….
…..translates in Old Norse to 'Lundy', the island on the horizon. A wildlife haven, it is protected by several measures, including Statutory Marine Reserve, Marine Conservation Zone, and Special Area of Conservation. Sian Scott spent three year there as Assistant
Alien Attack Awareness……
DWT's Coral Smith helped Coastwise members to understand the dangers of invasive or alien species on our shores. 'Invasive' means with human assistance, which might mean spreading in ships' ballast water, on nets or through the aquarium trade. Coral works
A Difficult-to-Sea Horse……..
……as Becky Lofts, of the Seahorse Trust told Coastwise members. She is an experienced diver and found these little fish, of sizes from 2.5cm up to 32cm, very difficult to spot underwater, which may have contributed to their reputation for