Support the Marine Bill!
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Shoresearch
- Spring 2009 Support the Marine Bill! |
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| East
Anglian Shoresearch for Norfolk and Norwich Naturalists Society West Runton April 2009 |
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We've
been meaning to get Shoresearch up and running in the East for
a
while and Dave Leech's kind invitation to join N&NNS for an
afternoon on West Runton beach seemed like the ideal opportunity. The survey form is based on the one used by Kent and Essex with a few appropriate species added. |
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A
total of 21naturalists turned up on what had looked like avery nice day
and enjoyed a quick briefing on local species and then took to the rock
pools as the rain came down! At least this was one activity where rain doesn't really affect the business in hand and as more and more species were found peoples spirits remained undampened even if everything else was! |
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West
Runton's beach is one of the few places in East Anglia with a rocky
foreshore. It is the landfall of a band of chalk which forms underwater
reefs to the West and beyond Sheringham. In places the reefs are upto 2m deep and harbour very varied wildlife. We'll be diving them more later this year to survey their extent and fauna. On the surface the rockpools left by the retreating tide hold a hint of the diversity which would be evident underwater. |
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There are however some species which are specific to the higher shore. We found several rocklings - five bearded on the left and four bearded on the right. These fish enjoy shallow water and aren't often seen on dives. |  |
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Dave was distraught not to have found a squat lobster - there were none to be seen by anyone. He did however find a monster Shanny which seemed to be either grossly overweight or heavily gravid. |  |
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Dawn
was surprised to find a Brown shrimp in the shallow sand covering
on the chalk. There were lots of Common prawns which remain in the open
but these shrimps like to burrow themselves and rock isn't the ideal
terrain for that. So Dave and Dawn left the beach happy and the by the end of the afternoon the weather had improved too! |
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| Dawn and Rob Seasearch East Anglia Phone: 01728 660 598 E-mail: --------------------------------------------------------- Vivid Oceans and Secret Seas www.1townhouses.co.uk |
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