ENVIRONMENT
Protect Our Seas
News and views from the world of marine heritage and conservation
Grain for the brain ?
Spanish chef Ángel León is attempting to revolutionise the way we eat - by popularising grains harvested from eelgrass . Lab tests suggest the tiny grains could have huge potential : gluten- free , high in Omega fatty acids and with more than 50 per cent more protein than rice . “ In a world that is three-quarters water , it could fundamentally transform how we see oceans ,” said Leon , known across Spain as el Chef del Mar , or ‘ Chef of the Sea ’. “ It ’ s interesting . When you eat it with the husk , similar to brown rice , it has a hint of the sea at the end ,” says León . “ But without the husk , you don ’ t taste the sea .” He found that the grain absorbed flavour well , taking two minutes longer to cook than rice and softening if overcooked .
Orca Odyssey : From Cornwall to Skye
The most southerly sighting of the UK ’ s only resident family of orcas has been made . Two whales from the pod – named John Coe and Aquarius – were spotted off the west coast of Cornwall on 6 May and identified by photography . They were sighted again on 14 May , 895 kilometres away at Dunvegan Head , Skye - the orcas had been travelling at a rate of approximately 100km a day .
The two orcas form part of the West Coast Community , a specialised pod of eight individuals that can be distinguished from other groups of orca by their unusual sloping eye patch and larger size . Although they are regularly monitored , some individuals have not been seen in recent years and there have been no calves observed since monitoring began in the 1990s . The pod may be facing extinction as a result of past exposure to high levels of now-banned PCB chemicals , which have caused poor health and infertility within the pod .
Abby Crosby , Marine Conservation Officer at Cornwall Wildlife Trust , said : “ This is the first official orca record in our databases with associated photos in over a decade , and further proof of the value of our coastal seas in supporting these magnificent creatures .”
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