SCUBA News 148, September 2012

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
SCUBA News (ISSN 1476-8011)
Issue 148 - September 2012
http://www.scubatravel.co.uk
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thank you very much for subscribing to SCUBA News. Have you been on a diving trip recently? Let us know how it went - e-mail news@scubatravel.co.uk or fill in the review form at http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/recommend.html.

I hope you find the newsletter interesting, but should you wish to cancel your subscription please do so at http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/news.html

SCUBA News in published by SCUBA Travel Ltd.

Advert: For 10% Off at Simply Scuba use voucher code SEP10 http://tinyurl.com/simplysc

Contents:
- What's new at SCUBA Travel?
- Letters
- Creature of the Month: Crown Butterflyfish
- Diving News from Around the World

What's New at SCUBA Travel?

Diving Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

In 1981 Jeddah diving was rated as "better than Galapagos". Now Jeddah's reefs are said to be poisoned by pollution and over-fished. However it is not all doom and gloom, one first-time diver this month gave the Sheraton beach dive in Jeddah 4 stars, citing "Lots of coral and plenty of fish". Perhaps it all depends on your expectations?
http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/redsea/divesaudi.html#Jeddah

Diving Portugal

Portugal, with her long coast line and islands far into the Atlantic, offers some splendid diving. Perhaps the best is in the Azores and Madeira archipelagos. All of the dives we have listed in these islands have been given the top "5 fish" rating by our reviewers.
http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/europe/portugal-diving.html

Diving Mexico

From the Cenotes underwater caverns to the reefs of Cozumel, we've more on the dive sites and dive operators of Mexico.
http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/americas/mexico-diving.html

For regular announcements of what's new at the SCUBA Travel site see our Twitter feed, our Facebook page or the SCUBA Travel Google+ page.

Letters

Diving Miami (From Twitter: @SCUBANews)

Will be heading to Miami in early Feb to visit a friend and want to blow some bubbles. Any suggestions on dive sites/companies?
Jayne Ricco, @jaynesgun

Any recommendations for diving in Miami? E-mail news@scubatravel.co.uk or tweet @SCUBANews.

On the book: North Sea Divers - A Requiem

Having been involved in the North Sea in the early days of the 70's with Comex - and working in Nigeria, Persian Gulf and India - I can only say that the early days with no Offshore Regulation pre 1975 were rough. Being Ex-Navy Divers we were used to bad conditions when operational necessity demanded it so those of us that have experienced what has been recorded in this book can only nod in agreement. Jackie Warner was the "Offshore Messiah" when decisions were to be made, unfortunately some of the permitted "bending of the rules" proved fatal.
Tony Locke

Creature of the Month: Crown Butterflyfish

Found only in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, the Crown Butterflyfish (Chaetodon paucifasciatus) lives between 4 and 30 m. You can spot it by its distinctive red rear, but its key identification feature is the yellow stripe through the eye.

This species is the most common of all the butterflyfish along the Jordanian, Egyptian and Saudi Arabian coasts.

The Crown Butterfly fish likes to live around hard corals: an abundance of these fish indicates good hard coral coverage on the seabed. A scarcity in a previously abundant area, though, signals that the coral may be in trouble.

The Butterfly fish family or Chaetodontidae are small, colourful fishes with a continuous dorsal fin. Chaetodontidae comes from the Greek, meaning bristle teeth, and indeed they do have small, brush-like teeth. Most species are active during the day, resting among corals or rocks at night.

Some species feed on coral polyps, and these tend to be territorial. When part of a coral is attacked in this way, the surrounding polyps often withdraw as far as they can into their protective skeletons. The fish then has to move further along the reef.

Further Reading

• Coral Reef Fishes, Indo-Pacific and Caribbean , Ewald Lieske and Robert Myers
• Khalaf, M. and Crosby, M. P. (2005), Assemblage structure of butterflyfishes and their use as indicators of Gulf of Aqaba benthic habitat in Jordan. Aquatic Conserv: Mar. Freshw. Ecosyst., 15: S27–S43. doi: 10.1002/aqc.698
• Khalaf, M. A. and Abdallah, M. (2005), Community structure of butterflyfishes in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. Aquatic Conserv: Mar. Freshw. Ecosyst., 15: S77–S89. doi: 10.1002/aqc.708

Diving News From Around the World

You can display this news, in real-time, on your web site. Just grab our news feed from http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/scuba.xml. For more details see http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/newsfeed.html. You can also read it on our Twitter page at http://twitter.com/SCUBANews

Most Fatal Diving Accidents Avoidable

A study published in Forensic Science International shows that most of the fatal diving accidents in Norway, could have been avoided if adequate diving safety procedures had been followed.

When is a Marine Reserve not a Marine Reserve?

Our sea creatures are in trouble. What with warming temperatures, pollution, plastic debris and over-fishing, the oceans need protecting more than ever before. And governments are becoming more committed to creating marine reserves. But are they just paying lip service to the problem or really addressing it?

Dolphin murals spark marine awareness campaign in Philippines

A painter's spontaneous reaction to slaughter of dolphins shown in The Cove turns into a movement for protecting ocean life.

Poor fisheries management endangers sharks in the Coral Triangle

WWF and TRAFFIC have released a report showing the need for a more concerted effort in managing shark fisheries in the Coral Triangle, to help conserve dwindling populations of these threatened species.

Foreign fish threaten Israeli marine life in Eastern Mediterranean sea

An invasion of fish species into the eastern Mediterranean Sea threatens local species, new Israeli research indicates. The scope of the fish invasion is the broadest in the world, according to the researchers' study of fish caught off the Israeli coast two decades ago in comparison to the types caught today. The researchers note that 55 Indo-Pacific species that arrived via the Suez Canal have established themselves in the Mediterranean, the highest invasion rate of any marine ecosystem.

Danish government allow dredging in marine reserve

Danish government approves dredging in marine reserve, to environmental organisation's dismay: it will take years for bottom dwelling creatures to recover.

Fish trawling reshapes deep-sea canyons

Deep-sea trawling smooths out the wrinkles of canyons on the continental slope, making marine mountainsides look more like ploughed fields, changing the habitat of deep-sea creatures. The process rivals landslides and storms as a shaper of the deep sea, according to work published in Nature.

The 'slippery slope to slime': Overgrown algae causing coral reef declines

Researchers for the first time have confirmed some of the mechanisms by which overfishing and nitrate pollution can help destroy coral reefs - it appears they allow an overgrowth of algae that can bring with it unwanted pathogens, choke off oxygen and disrupt helpful bacteria.

Arctic expert predicts final collapse of sea ice within four years

As sea ice shrinks to record lows, Prof Peter Wadhams warns a global disaster is now unfolding in northern latitudes.

Scottish fish farmers use record amounts of parasite pesticides

Scottish fish farmers have been forced to use record amounts of highly toxic pesticides to combat underwater parasites that prey on salmon, raising fears of significant damage to the marine environment.

Lemon sharks 'learn' skills by watching each other

Lemon sharks have the ability to learn from each other's behaviour, scientists have found.

Ocean acidification is accelerated in nutrient-rich areas

Carbon dioxide released from decaying algal blooms, combined with ongoing increases in atmospheric carbon emissions, leads to increased levels of ocean acidification, and places additional stress on marine resources and the coastal economies that depend on them, according to a new study published today.

* Copyright SCUBA Travel - http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/
* Reprinting welcomed with this footer included.

We are happy for you to copy and distribute this newsletter, and even use parts of it on your own web site, providing the above copyright notice is included and a link back to our web site is in place.

Previous editions of SCUBA News are archived at http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/news.html
For daily news updates subscribe to our rss feed at http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/scuba.xml
or follow us on Twitter at
http://twitter.com/SCUBANews

SUBSCRIBING AND UNSUBSCRIBING
Visit http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/news.html and add or remove your e-mail address.

CONTACTING THE EDITOR
Please send your letters or press releases to:
The Editor
SCUBA News
The Cliff
Upper Mayfield
DE6 2HR
UK

ADVERTISING
Should you wish to advertise in SCUBA News, please fill in the form at http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/newsad.html

PUBLISHER: SCUBA Travel, 5 Loxford Court, Hulme, Manchester, M15 6AF, UK
EDITOR: Jill Studholme

Name:         

E-mail:       

Company:      

Comments: