Marine Life Society of South Australia Inc.

Newsletter

January 2009   No. 361

“understanding, enjoying & caring for our oceans”

 

Next Meeting

There will be no General Meeting in January. The next one will be held in February. For details please access our website at mlssa.asn.au or wait for our February newsletter.

                                                                             

CONTENTS

Verco Medal Presentation to Scoresby Shepherd (Steve Reynolds)

Recent (October 2008) Reef Life Survey Trip to Yorke Peninsula (Steve Reynolds)

TORPEDO Marine Life News Bulletin

 

 

You may note that this newsletter is shorter than usual. This is due to a lack of suitable articles from a variety of members. Please send me an article or two over the next month to allow me to return to the original sized newsletter.

 

2009 calendar sales have gone well. At the time of writing this newsletter I have only 8 left and unless any are returned unsold this will be the second year that we have completely sold out - congratulations. Sufficient payments have come in so that the printing bill has now been more than covered.

 

We are working on the 2010 calendar and welcome pictures from anybody of sharp, local SA waters subjects. Although the closure date is/was 31st December we will still continue to inspect submissions for some time yet. Any that cannot be included in the 2010 calendar will be retained for the next edition in 2011.

 

Verco Medal Presentation to Scoresby Shepherd

by Steve Reynolds

 

According to the web page found at http://www.adelaide.edu.au/rssa/, the Royal Society of South Australia was founded on 10th January 1853 (as the Adelaide Philosophical Society). The Society changed its name to the Royal Society of South Australia when her Majesty Queen Victoria granted the title “Royal” in 1880.

In 1928, the Society struck a medal in honour of Sir Joseph Verco. The Verco Medal has since been awarded to members of the Royal Society for distinguished scientific investigations. (Sir Joseph Verco died in 1933.)

According to the web page found at http://www.adelaide.edu.au/rssa/awards/, “The (Verco) medal shall be awarded for distinguished scientific work published by a Fellow of the Royal Society of South Australia. It is the highest honour that the Society can bestow on one of its Fellows. Only those who have made a significant, outstanding contribution to their field(s) of study receive the award.”

The first Verco medal was awarded to Professor Walter Howchin in 1929. Medals have since been awarded to people such as JB Cleland, Sir Douglas Mawson and Reg Sprigg. Careful deliberation is said to go with each award of the medal so the list of Verco Medallists is said to represent “a most revered, respected and outstanding collection of scientists”.

At the Society’s AGM held on Thursday 9th October 2008, Dr Scoresby Shepherd, the eminent SA marine biologist, was presented with the Verco Medal for contributions to science.

Bob Baldock ‘roasted’ Scoresby in the lead-up to the presentation. The Society’s President, Mr A.Pring, then presented Scoresby with the Verco Medal and a certificate. I managed to take the following mobile phone photo of Scoresby being presented with his medal: -

Scoresby Shepherd being presented with the Verco Medal by Royal Society of SA President, Mr A.Pring (taken by Steve Reynolds)

MLSSA members and associates such as Ralph Richardson, James Brook and Janine Baker were there to witness Scoresby receiving his medal.

After a lengthy refreshment break, Scoresby gave a PowerPoint presentation to the meeting. (Incidentally, the meeting was actually held in the SA Museum.) Scoresby’s presentation started with a little bit about Sir Joseph Verco himself. The presentation then took us right through Scoresby’s career in marine biology, from when he first started diving in the early 1950s.

Here is another mobile phone photo of mine showing Scoresby giving his presentation: -

Scoresby Shepherd giving his PowerPoint presentation

(taken by Steve Reynolds)

Scoresby has been our own Society’s Patron since 1st January 2003. Our first Patron was CJ (John) Glover who died in the early 1990s. We did not have a patron for some 9 years before Scoresby agreed to become our second patron in 2002.

Scoresby gave me a little background into our Society’s history a couple of years ago. Prior to becoming the Marine Aquarium Research Institute of Australia (SA Branch) in June 1976, the Marine Life Society of SA had its beginnings as the Underwater Research Group, which was linked to the SA Museum. Scoresby told me that the URG started in the mid-1950s, under the impetus of John Mitchell, Curator of Reptiles at the SA Museum”. Scoresby thinks that the URG first met in a room in Rechabite Chambers in Victoria Square, Adelaide, and later meetings were held in the SA Museum building. Scoresby himself was Secretary of the URG during the early 60s. He says that the group “finally petered out” and had entirely wound down its activities by the early 70s. As mentioned above, the Marine Aquarium Research Institute of Australia (SA Branch) then began in June 1976. Our group changed its name to become the Marine Life Society of South Australia in October 1982.

But getting back to Scoresby himself, our Patron is not only a Senior Research Fellow for SARDI Aquatic Sciences and an Honorary Associate at the SA Museum; he is also now a Verco Medallist.

 

 

Recent (October 2008) Reef Life Survey Trip to Yorke Peninsula

by Steve Reynolds

Pictures by Chris Hall

 

Chris Hall and I participated in the Yorke Peninsula trip by Reef Life Surveys (a Commonwealth scheme). We were being taught some reef monitoring techniques. Scoresby Shepherd, our Patron, and others such as Janine Baker were also taking part. Unfortunately, I myself was only with them for about 27 hours. I could only attend the training from 8.30am Saturday morning to lunchtime on Sunday. About a dozen of us were staying together at the “Boat House” in Edith Street (the one leading down to the jetty). Not long after I arrived at the Boat House, most of us drove to Troubridge Hill to consider diving there. When that was thought to be out of the question, we journeyed over to Point Turton to dive at Magazine Bay.

We returned to the Boat House back at Edithburgh for a late lunch. I then managed to slip across the road to visit the Edithburgh Museum briefly before having to gear up for a dive at Edithburgh jetty. Two of our divers came face to face with a 4m-long white pointer shark

there. The two divers lay low after the initial shock of the sighting. They then advised the other divers in the water to make a hasty exit. The two divers in question suffered a little shock and both relived their nightmare a little during the night. Both were planning, however, to dive again the next day, although a considerable distance from Edithburgh.

 

Helmet Shell

 

We all sat around a big kitchen table to enjoy a lovely meal prepared by Steve (Janine’s partner). There was also beer and wine to drink. Everyone chatted, shared photos and checked species identifications in marine books of all kinds. I was able to sit and chat with Scoresby and tell him my life story. Other people were able to read about Scoresby’s life story because I had taken a new book titled “Rock Star” along for them to read. The book is actually about Reg Sprigg, but Scoresby features prominently in it. Scoresby very kindly signed the book for me.

 

Featherduster worm

 

Later in the evening it was time for Chris and I to take some survey lessons from Rick Stuart Smith, one of the RLS coordinators. We had to put our watches forward one hour with daylight saving starting overnight. This meant that it was soon getting late and time to go to bed.

 

Chris and I were sleeping in a large room that had four double bunk beds in it. Being a late arrival, I had to sleep on a top bunk bed in the corner. I had little trouble falling asleep but a few of us woke during the night and then had some trouble getting back to sleep. Regardless of that, it was soon past 6am and I decided to get up and take advantage of the vacant shower. I also needed to be able to pack all of my belongings, including dive gear, into my car before 9am. Everyone soon gathered in the kitchen once more to have breakfast with tea or coffee. It was soon time for us to head off in search of a suitable dive site once more.

 

 

 

 

 
Bullseyes under a baulk of timber

 

We drove down to the bottom end of the peninsula looking for a suitable site to dive. I had to drive my car behind Rick’s vehicle. My little 4-cylinder Ford Laser turned into a 4WD as it tried to keep up with Rick’s 4WD along dirt roads and sand tracks. A spot was eventually found at Emu Point, near Stenhouse Bay. Unfortunately, I had to abandon any idea of diving before reaching this site as it was time for me to start heading back home. I had managed just a couple of dives and they say that I’m now qualified to do 50m reef transects as part of RLS. I may well need, however, a little help from people such as Chris, Janine and Scoresby who have all had more training than myself.

The weather had been perfect whilst I was there on the Saturday and Sunday. The wind, however, strengthened on the holiday Monday and probably made diving awkward.

We enjoyed viewing some beautiful coastal sites around the Yorke Peninsula during the trip. I loved seeing some of the spectacular rocky coastline of the ‘bottom end’ of the peninsula. We also managed to see a couple of sea lions around the Troubridge Hill area.

Nudibranch egg mass

 

My thanks got to Rick Stuart Smith and Toni (Antonia) Cooper from RLS for allowing me to briefly participate in the trip. My thanks also go to Scoresby Shepherd, Janine Baker, Chris Hall, Adrian Brown and all of the others for their help during the trip.

 

 

TORPEDO

Marine Life News Bulletin

November 2008

www.glaucus.org.uk

Venerids

 

 

Venerids from around the British Isles (by Jan Light).

 

Top: Venerupis senegalensis (=pullastra)
Middle: Tapes rhomboides
Bottom: Tapes aureus

Note: pink flush in interior umbone of rhomboides - diagnostic
Note: golden flush in aureus (but sometimes present in senegalensis)
Note: dark brownish purple on interior of senegalensis but not present in pale coloured individuals.
Note similarities in outline to the untrained eye.  Also once you get to know the species you recognise colour combinations and patterns not seen in the other two.

 

 

KANGAROO ISLAND PENGUIN CENTRE

KINGSCOTE WHARF.

 

P.O. BOX 536,                                                

KINGSCOTE.  K.I.  SA 522                                            PH:  08)8553 3112

FX:  08)8553 3025

E:  jenny@jennyclapson.com.au

W: www.kimarinecentre.com.au

 

            OPEN EVERY EVENING

 

TOURS TAKE 1 HOUR AND INCLUDE OUR GUIDES FEEDING SOME OF THE SEACREATURES IN OUR SALTWATER AQUARIUMS FOLLOWED BY A TORCHLIT FORESHORE WALK AMONGST KINGSCOTE’S LITTLE PENGUIN COLONY WHERE ON DARK NIGHTS WE LOOK THE EVENING STARS.

IN BETWEEN THE TOURS THERE IS AN OPPORTUNITY TO LOOK AT THE AQUARIUMS ONLY at $2.00 EACH.

 

TOURS & OPENING HOURS

 (times change during the year due to daylight saving)

 

Opening Hours:   April, May, June, July, August, September.

                               7.00 pm.   Tours:  7.30 pm & 8.30 pm

Opening Hours:   Early October, November, February, March.

                               8.00 pm.    Tours:  8.30 pm & 9.30 pm.

Opening Hours:   November, December.

                               8.15. pm.    Tours:  8.45 pm & 9.30 pm

                  

PRICES  to 1/4/09

Adults:                        $15.00

Child:                          $ 6.00    (3 years old to 14 years inclusive)

Family:                       $36.00   (2 adults & 2 children, extra child $3.00)

Concession/Student:  $13.00   (must show card)

 

PELICAN FEEDING

 5.00 PM EVERYDAY AT THE KINGSCOTE WHARF.

A popular lively & informative talk at the water’s edge at a cost of $3.00 per person.

 

 

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