Stormy seas bring new dangers

DEADLY sea creatures could be an increasingly common sight around the region's shores if the South West experiences another wet and windy summer, according to scientists.

An influx of marine visitors, including the notorious Portuguese man o'war, greeted holidaymakers and tourists visiting Westcountry beaches last summer, and experts are predicting more of the same this year if the unseasonal stormy conditions return in six months' time.

Basking sharks, like this one off Cornwall, could be seen less often in wet and windy summers. But stormy weather has been attracting larger numbers of jellyfish and the Portuguese man o'war, above, which can give a painful sting to humans, and can be fatal in rare cases
Basking sharks, like this one off Cornwall, could be seen less often in wet and windy summers. But stormy weather has been attracting larger numbers of jellyfish and the Portuguese man o'war, above, which can give a painful sting to humans, and can be fatal in rare cases
Basking sharks, like this one off Cornwall, could be seen less often in wet and windy summers. But stormy weather has been attracting larger numbers of jellyfish and the Portuguese man o'war, above, which can give a painful sting to humans, and can be fatal in rare cases

The weather is identified as the main cause of increased numbers of fish as well as seabirds which would otherwise seldom visit the UK's shores.

However, the storms are also thought to have a negative impact on the numbers of other marine life, such as basking sharks, spotted off the region's coastline.

Dozens of experts in conservation, fishing, marine science and eco-tourism met in Plymouth to discuss impact of environmental change and conservation measures on marine life in the region at the third annual South West Marine Ecosystems conference.

Organiser Dr Russell Wynn, of the National Oceanography Centre in Southampton, said: "The impact of these midsummer storms on our marine life has been dramatic.

"If recent summers are an indication of future trends, then we might expect to see more exotic visitors around our coasts in the years to come."

Experts meeting in Plymouth said another summer dominated by wet and windy weather led to an unprecedented midsummer influx of the poisonous Portuguese man-o-war at Cornish beach resorts, leading to temporary closure of some popular tourist hot spots such as Sennen Cove, near Penzance in West Cornwall.

The stormy conditions also blew in record numbers of the Wilson's storm petrel, a tiny oceanic seabird that breeds in the southern Atlantic Ocean and is traditionally a very rare visitor to UK coasts. Several sightings of the spectacular black-browed albatross were also made during the summer and autumn, including the first in Cornwall for more than 20 years.

However, scientists said the unsettled weather was bad news for basking sharks, which were seen only in very low numbers off Westcountry waters through the summer and autumn.

The RSPB also reported that the wet, cold conditions could be contributing to low productivity of breeding seabirds such as kittiwakes.

Helen Booker, of the RSPB, said: "Midsummer storms are a particular problem for our breeding kittiwakes, which nest on exposed cliffs and headlands. The adult birds have difficulty finding food in very rough seas, while the chicks are vulnerable to chilling in persistently cold, damp conditions."