April 2, 2005
MMM...SQUID.
Dolphins flourish in North Sea (Martin Wainwright, The Guardian, April 2nd, 2005)
Warmer water is washing unprecedented numbers of "southern" fish and other marine life into the previously inhospitable North Sea, according to a survey by university biologists.More than 600 sightings of dolphins and whales - some in schools of more than 200 - have been recorded in a year-long audit of waters between Britain, Scandinavia and Germany.
Large shoals of sea bass, usually found off Cornwall, have added to the new ecology, astonishing fishermen, who described the number of squid in particular as "unreal". A volunteer fleet of fishing craft and pleasure yachts working for Newcastle University also charted an invasion of red mullet, pilchard and velvet crabs, all indicators of warmer seas.Notable sightings include a white-beaked dolphin and calf, and Risso's dolphins, which are thought to have followed migrating squid from the English Channel. The increase in prey has meanwhile tempted colder water species such as the killer whale to increase in numbers, harrying growing populations of seal.
"The sea is changing," said a trawler skipper, Stephen Moss, whose ship, Green Pastures, of Blyth, Northumberland, has increasingly been trailed by dolphins in the last year. "We've been catching commercial quantities of red mullet and occasionally pilchard, and this year we were hauling in mackerel right up to Christmas. We're definitely seeing changes in the water temperature. The number of squid now is just unreal."
Wouldn’t you just love to crash a UN meeting on climate change and tell them all that you’ve got great news?
Posted by Peter Burnet at April 2, 2005 9:17 AMHey, human induced global warming increases the Earth's carrying capacity. It's the Gaia Hypothesis for conservatives.
Posted by: David Cohen at April 2, 2005 9:37 AMGaia is not amused!
Posted by: She who IS at April 2, 2005 10:50 AMShe:
Calm down and hang in there. We promise to propitiate you with a sacrifice of nice tasty Canadian bananas.
Posted by: Peter B at April 2, 2005 11:10 AMWhy don't we eat dolphins? Do they taste bad? Do they taste anything like bald eagles?
Posted by: AllenS at April 2, 2005 1:16 PMprobably the same reason we don't eat dogs.
Posted by: cjm at April 2, 2005 1:25 PMCarnivores like dogs and cats are thought to not taste as good as herbivores. Or at least animals that have been raised on a meat-free diet. I've never eaten bear, eagle, dog or cat and the pork I've eaten has not (to the best of my knowledge) eaten meat. I have no idea what dolphins eat. Any survivors of the Siege of Leningrad on this board to tell us how cat, dog or the infamous "long pig" tastes?
Posted by: Governor Breck at April 2, 2005 3:29 PMI wonder if it will become as warm as circa 900 before we cycle back into the next ice age when the sun spot activity begins to wane.
I sail off NH and Me and have yet to see a dolphin, which are numerous south of the cape in summer. Maybe this will be the year.
Posted by: Genecis at April 2, 2005 4:31 PMDolphins eat meat, I believe. I know they kill sharks on occasion, too.
Posted by: Timothy at April 2, 2005 4:37 PMMy POSSLQ has had whale meat, in Japan, and she says it's pretty nasty. Evidently it's got a strong fishy taste. Maybe dolphin's the same.
Posted by: joe shropshire at April 2, 2005 4:58 PMBoy One loves squid jerky.
P.S. cjm, some people do eat dogs.
Posted by: Annoying Old Guy at April 2, 2005 6:01 PMI once had seal and whale meat in Greenland. With beer and schnapps. Loved the beer and schnapps.
Posted by: Peter B at April 2, 2005 7:40 PMMountain men considered cougar to be one of the best meats. From personal experience, dog is not too bad, although I wouldn't eat it regularly.
Posted by: jd watson at April 2, 2005 10:32 PMGrovernor Breck: Not to be too nit picky, but dogs are omnivores, not carnivores.
We must eat some animals that are carnivores. Surely most fish species? Of course we eat some that I don't like to think about what they eat (namely crawfish).
Posted by: Buttercup at April 3, 2005 11:57 AM