NEWS

NEWS

21 March 2006: David Sims gave an invited talk (European Tracking of Predators in the Atlantic - EUTOPIA) and participated in a European workshop - CoastTrack--Spatiotemporal distribution and demography of important coastal species in relation to human activities. Held in Amsterdam, March 21-22, 2006.

10 March 2006: David Sims gave an invited seminar entitled “Ups and downs of ocean life: foraging strategies of free-ranging sharks” at the University of Wales, Bangor, School of Biological Sciences.

9 February 2006: 'Dwindling fish numbers already of concern in 1883' by David Sims and Prof. Alan Southward was published in Nature, Correspondence.

25 November 2005: REALLY GREAT NEWS FOR BASKING SHARKS!! The basking shark has just been listed on Appendix I and II of the Bonn Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) which means that all nation states that have basking sharks in their waters MUST introduce strict legislation to prevent capture and landing of the shark. This listing was based on research conducted by the MBA and CEFAS which will be published in the journal Biological Conservation early in 2006, and a proposal compiled by the MCS.

7-9 November 2005: The first EUTOPIA workshop was held in Bristol.

6 October 2005: 'Stars beneath the waves' by David Sims was published in Nature, News & Views.

September 2005: Neil Hutchinson presented 'Central place foraging behaviour in a common elasmobranch' at the BES conference held at Hatfield University.

August 2005: The CEBS project has just had their first paper accepted for publication in the Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the UK. The paper entitled 'Spatial distribution patterns of basking sharks on the European shelf: preliminary comparison of satellite-tag geolocation, survey and public sightings data' by E.J. Southall, D.W. Sims, J.D. Metcalfe, J.I. Doyle, S. Fanshawe, C. Lacey, J. Shrimpton, J.-L. Solandt and C.D. Speedie will appear in the special shark edition which will be out this October. We'll be featured on the front cover.

20-22 April 2005: The fish behaviour and ecology group gave poster presentations about their research at the annual residential MBA Council meeting.

19 April 2005: Emily Southall gave a talk 'Ecological research on the basking shark by the Marine Biological Association 1994-2005' which highlighted the recent findings of the CEBS project at the Basking Shark BAP Steering Group meeting, Plymouth.

15 March 2005: Neil Hutchinson gave a presentation to the general public on shark movements and behaviour at the MBA as part of the National Science Week events.

22-23 October 2004: The Fish Behaviour group presented work at the European Elasmobranch Society conference held at the Zoological Society, London.

December 2004: A hammerhead shark was washed up at Portreath, Cornwall and found by Mr Kevin Melton who kindly donated it to the MBA lab for formal identification and further analysis.

9 June 2004: David Sims gave an illustrated lecture “Changes in fish off Plymouth: Climate or fishing?” to the Devon Wildlife Trust, Tavistock.

21-23 April 2004: MBA Council annual residential meeting. The group presented posters of their research to MBA Council members.

18 March 2004: David Sims presented a guest lecture “Tracking fish….with chips” at The Royal Institution, London as part of National Science Week events.

17 March 2004: Group members attended Oceanology International at Excel, London.

8 March 2004: David Sims gave an invited seminar “Behavioural strategies of sharks: food, warmth and sexual segregation” at the University of Reading, School of Animal and Microbial Sciences.

11-13 March 2004: The Fish Behaviour group presented an interactive exhibit “Fish: diverse feeders” to schoolchildren and members of the public as part of National Science Week.

26 February 2004: David Sims and Martin Genner presented a poster “Climate-driven changes in marine fish assemblages off southwest Britain” at the GLOBEC meeting at the Royal Society, London.

23 October 2003: Members of the Fish Group gave presentations, including a seminar entitled "Climate change and fishing drive a century of change in a marine fish community" at the international symposium on long-term ecological change at The Linnean Society of London.

3 July 2003: David Sims presented a Keynote lecture at ‘Fish as Models of Behaviour’, Fisheries Society of the British Isles International Symposium, University of East Anglia.

19 March 2003: Public lecture entitled “Giant sharks: do they hibernate?” at the City of Plymouth Museum and Galleries.

11 March 2003: Public lecture as part of National Science Week on the “History of the Marine Biological Association” at Citadel Hill, Plymouth.

10 March 2003: David Sims gave an invited seminar “Behavioural strategies in a fluid environment: foraging and sexual segregation in sharks” at the University of Oxford, Department of Zoology.

5 March 2003: David Sims presented an invited seminar “Behavioural strategies of sharks: hibernation and sexual segregation” in the School of Biological Sciences, University of Plymouth.

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