PHOTO : SMASS
Bird-flu found in seals
Bird-flu has made the species-jump to seals in Scotland . Three of the four harbour seals and one of the two grey seals from 2022 and early 2023 tested positive for the new strain , HAPIV H5N1 . Last year saw the UK ’ s biggest outbreak of ‘ flu , almost all due to the H5N1 strain , which killed thousands of wild birds and was also seen to spill over into foxes and otters . Scottish Marine Animal Strandings Scheme ( SMASS ) has confirmed that , of the six seal carcasses it sent for testing , four had tested positive for the H5N1 strain .
A SMASS spokesman said : “ We ’ re hoping to send more cases for screening to better understand what this means in terms of disease ecology and epidemiology . We also want to check our more recent cetacean cases for evidence of spillover . It ’ s worth pointing out , however , that the risk to the public remains very low and the protective gear already advised to our volunteers for handling dead carcases is likely still sufficient .”
ice cover and increased sea swells caused by climate change are believed to be accelerating the deterioration .”
Archaeologists have documented the Erebus ’ s condition since its discovery in September 2014 , two years before researchers found the Terror 45 miles away . 2022 was only their second season recovering artifacts from the Erebus . In the summer of 2019 , archaeologists unearthed 350 artifacts , including wine bottles and a hair brush .
Last summer marked the team ’ s post-pandemic return , during which it conducted 56 two-hour dives over 11 days . Returning to the steward ’ s pantry , archaeologists unearthed more dishware , in addition to a lieutenant ’ s epaulets and a lens from a pair of eyeglasses .
PHOTO : SIMON ROGERSON
Great white mystery at Guadalupe Island
Shark Trust MD Paul Cox considers the recent closure of the Mexican shark hotspot and its worrying implications for conservation
So , if you ’ ve been struggling to save for that once in a lifetime cage diving trip to Guadalupe , you might want to think about relaxing and paying your electricity bill instead . In a surprise move , the Mexican Government have decided to close the White Shark hotspot to tourism , indefinitely , from early January .
The permanent ban follows last year ’ s temporary closure , which was intended to ‘ make it possible to gather information that will guide activities and the adoption of the best sustainability practices that guarantee the conservation of [ white shark populations ]’.
The desire of the government to ‘ preserve and conserve the species ’ is a laudable aim , but this move has been greeted with a mixture of incredulity and suspicion by the dive community . Particularly as the new management plan makes no reference to any measures to control illegal fishing in the reserve .
By preventing all dive boat operations , the government appear to have removed the de-facto fisheries observers without offering any obvious alternative . Sitting , as it does , 130 miles off the west coast of Baja California and only sparsely populated , the biosphere reserve presents itself as a prime target for illegal fisheries , unless protection is strictly enforced .
In completely unrelated news , January also saw the publication of an in-depth
analysis of “ conservation successes and challenges for wide-ranging sharks and rays ” in the Western Atlantic . The report contrasted the positive impact of strictly enforced fisheries management in the US with less developed fisheries management approaches further south .
It notes that in Mexico “ catches of one of the largest shark and ray fishing countries in the region are still recorded in only three categories (“ small shark ,” “ large shark ,” or “ ray ”). That ’ s not , I ’ m afraid , indicative of a strong culture of fisheries management . Further , the report discusses the impact of shark sanctuaries which “ vary greatly in their level of regulation ” and “ have had limited influence because they were created without the additional resources necessary for enforcement of spatial restrictions on fishing .”
We ’ re living in an era of increasing willingness by ( some ) governments to do the right thing . And we ’ re seeing a high-profile push for reserves as a conservation tool . But reserves have to be done right and that includes a clear fisheries plan and resources for enforcement . Ecotourism could be a big player in this story . This all makes what ’ s happened in Guadalupe so puzzling . We ’ ll be watching with interest to see how the picture develops for what is , by all accounts , an incredible population of great whites . www . sharktrust . org
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