MLSSA

Newsletter

October 2002

No. 293

"Understanding, enjoying & caring for our oceans"


Next Meeting

Our next meeting will be held at the Conservation Centre, 120 Wakefield Street on Wednesday 16th October commencing at 7.30pm.

Details of our speaker will be posted on our website when available.


Contents

A Patron for MLSSA?

Diving Activities Without Getting Wet

Glenelg Jetty Follow-Up -

My Record Breaking Swim

Euglena

Help With A School Assignment

MARINE PLAN TO LOOK AT WHYALLA’S CUTTLEFISH

PROTECTING AND ENJOYING OUR HISTORIC

SHIPWRECKS

Proposed Breakwater At Semaphore Park


A Patron for MLSSA?

In the early days of our (26 year old) Society we had a Patron. It was John Glover, Curator of Fishes at the SA Museum, but John died a few years ago and we have never bothered to appoint a replacement, until now. I am now suggesting that it is time for us to appoint a replacement. But who should it be? Well we are open to suggestions at this stage, but here is a short list of people to consider:-

Scoresby Shepherd;

Elizabeth Reid;

Mike Bossley;

Anthony Cheshire;

Tim Flannery;

Pat Harbison

There may be lots more that I haven’t thought of yet. Do you know of any one that would be suitable? I am suggesting that the person be a non-member, although they could perhaps be a former member. We also need to consider the duties and responsibilities of the person. Please give the matter some consideration and be ready to suggest a few names at our October meeting. We may then decide to approach some of the nominees and seek their agreement.

Steve Reynolds


Diving Activities Without Getting Wet

The second week of August turned out to be pretty ‘special’ for me. First there was the Divers Forum at the Royal Adelaide Hospital on the 7th. Maggie had organised a group booking for about a dozen of us. We all met her at the theatre where the forum was being held to receive our entry tickets. Once inside the theatre though we met up with Heather and Mignon Bird, Geoff Prince and Ben Brayford already seated. Once that the forum got started we were invited to check out three scuba sets around the theatre for dangerous faults. After this Professor Des Gorman gave us a talk about brain injury studies in occupational medicine. Professor Gorman is from the Department of Medicine and Liggins Institute at New Zealand’s University of Auckland. His talk was completely unexpected since we were advised that the topic was titled "E mare a mare – The Hazards of Human Life Underwater". This talk had apparently been dropped due to a problem with the video film that was to be used. Professor Gorman left after answering a few questions from the audience.

 

  

 HYPERBARIC MEDICINE UNIT - DIVERS FORUM

Tim and Maggie in the RAH Hyperbaric chamber.

Picture courtesy of Grant Brown:

Mildura DesertDivers Club

 

Chris Acott from the RAH’s Hyperbaric Medicine Unit was the next speaker and he gave two separate talks that seemed to run into each other. He started with the topic of diving and obesity, making several references to SA diving fatalities that have occurred in less than two years. He then went into his scheduled talk titled "What’s Wrong Here? – Equipment Incidents in Diving". This talk mainly revolved around diving related pictures where the question "What’s wrong with this picture?" was always being asked. There were several cases of diver error and incidents, a few involving weight belts. We saw that, even though divers wear wet suits (and dry suits), they still have problems with too many ‘dangling bits’. Below is one of the pictures that we were shown by Chris.

 

AND YOU THINK YOUR HAVING A BAD DAY AT WORK !!

Although this looks like a picture taken from a Hollywood movie, it is in fact a real photo, taken near the South African coast during a military exercise by the British Navy.

It has been nominated by Geo as "THE photo of the year".

 

At the end of Chris’s talks we transferred to the Hyperbaric Unit where a big supper was laid on for us. We were able to chat with other divers and officials whilst some of us had our depth gauges and dive computers tested in one of the decompression chambers. At the end of the night we were told that there would definitely be another forum next year. If you missed this one, make sure that you attend the next one. You won’t be disappointed.

On the 10th I was shown around the Hobart which is being prepared in the Port River for scuttling as a very large artificial reef in Yankalilla Bay later this year. I went around the ship with a group of dive masters from Divers Service, including Geoff Prince. Let me tell you, it is going to be a great dive site with access to many internal sections of the ship. We spent an hour looking her over before being treated to a barbecue meal at about 10am.

From the Hobart, it was a short trip to the Maritime Museum where I went to see the Nicolas Baudin exhibition – "Baudin: Voyage of Discovery to the Southern Lands". I was particularly keen to see the display of specimens provided by our Society (as reported in our February Newsletter, No.285), but I was disappointed not to see them. I made some enquiries to the staff on duty who assured me that there would be yet another exhibition following this one. They thought that our specimens would feature in that one. I later checked this out with Kevin Jones, the Director of the museum. He explained that the current display (which runs until 14th October) was produced by the WA Museum. An SA exhibition has successfully been touring the regional ports of Ceduna, Port Lincoln, Whyalla, Port Augusta, Port Pirie, Kingscote, Victor Harbor and Robe since February. He plans to install it as a PERMANENT exhibition at his museum next February. We’ll just have to wait until then to see how our specimens look on display.

Well I haven’t had a dive in August yet but at least I attended three diving related activities (not counting MLSSA & SDF meetings) without getting cold and wet. I’m looking forward to getting wet on the Hobart next year though. Many thanks to Maggie for organising the group booking for the Divers Forum.

Steve Reynolds


Glenelg Jetty Follow-Up

Following the publication of Steve’s Glenelg jetty article on our web site (from our June & July Newsletters), we were contacted by a Peter Lane requesting information about the jetty. This contact led to Peter providing us with this short story about the jetty.

My Record Breaking Swim

A short story by Peter A. Lane

In the early hours of Sunday 11th April1948 a violent storm had wreaked havoc on the South Australian bayside town of Glenelg. The Navy Frigate HMAS Barcoo had run aground and the jetty had been all but destroyed. Only the kiosk a half-mile out to sea and the old aquarium fifty to a hundred yards off shore, depending on the tide, remained.

A couple of years later, in the early fifties, as an established member of the Bay gang (a group of trainee bronzed Anzacs aged between 11 and 16 years of age) I spent most of my leisure summer time in the water and on the beach. We were mainly day students at Sacred Heart College. A few of the names in the group included Colin Coe, John Kilmartin, Mick Earle and Mick Meschke. The remains of the aquarium had provided a new sport to perform, varying degrees of diving skills from the elegant swan diver to the screaming jumper.

It was late afternoon when the normal (or if you like, sub-normal) 40 or so youths were wearying of the day’s activities and thinking of heading for shore, home and dinner. That sea air sure provided a voracious appetite.

The sudden cry of "SHARK! SHARK!" had dripping bodies clambering up the ladders and pylons in record time.

"Where? Where?" we all cried in unison and the spotter pointed and shouted "THERE!". And there it was, a nine to ten foot long shark that seemed to get larger and larger the longer you looked at it (and definitely did when tales were told to the grandchildren 50 years later).

We watched and followed its progress around and around the aquarium. It didn’t seem to be in any hurry and the light was growing dimmer and the beach was getting further away.

The beach wasn’t actually moving, of course, but the gap between ourselves and the safety of the sand was getting further away as the tide came in.

A discussion was held amongst the big kids, over fourteens that is. It was decided that one of us would stay and locate the shark at the furthest point from the shore and the rest of us would, on the signal ‘GO’, all dive in together and make haste for the shore. This gave us about a thirty yard start.

I often wondered about this theory of, firstly, whether we should have all stayed and sent the fastest swimmer and, secondly, how they decided on who was to stay!

In our group that day we also had Don Chisholm who was later to captain South Australia at water polo, Terry Galvin who was the Under 14 champion breaststroker and his older brother Pat who was the Senior State champion at both the breaststroke and butterfly. There was also yours truly whose swimming claim to speed stopped at running third in the school sports under 12 freestyle - a long third I may add.

However, on ‘GO’ we did just that and, whatever that distance was from aquarium to beach, there was a new record holder - me. And I never ever went back into that sea or any other sea again. Ever!


Euglena

In the May 2002 issue of the Marine Life Society Newsletter, I wrote about the excystment of olive-green, spherical, non-motile "cells" to produce active Euglena. The Euglena cells encysted again but this time the cysts were blue-black (or the blue-green colour usually associated with "blue-green algae" to use the obsolete terminology).

I tried various treatments to get these blue-black cysts to break their dormancy, but none worked. (Treatments tried included raising or lowering temperature; dilution with fresh water; heating in a microwave; adding seaweed extract; alternating light and dark periods.) As of 10/7/02, the passing of the seasons has not had any effect either. I will keep the "cultures" going until summer to see whether spring or summer causes excystment.

One alga that is hardy in aquarium conditions is Acetabularia peniculus. A little clump on a broken cockle shell, has lived and grown since 14/6/02. My "aquarium" is a shallow dish of water. I do keep a lamp on it 24 hours a day but no bubbler or filter. The young "stems" exhibit phototropism nicely. The "colony" I have appears to be male (small gametangia in the gametangial rays). I change the water weekly.

I was looking for a suitable background for showing up the translucent di - to quadri - chotomous hairs by reflected light at x40 under an ordinary microscope. Black glass mosaic tiles from a craft shop, or black ceramic tiles (small ones) fit the bill (and under the microscope). The object of the exercise is to be able to draw the hairs under water using a drawing attachment. (6/8/02 - Not the best arrangement - stain and use transmitted light.)

If you have access to a microscope, it is worth doing some simple work with plankton. Collect a bottle of seawater. Allow it to stand overnight. If there is an obvious concentration of organisms at the surface (as may happen with Euglena) examine some of that. Then siphon off most of the water and examine drops of the bottom concentrate. Teat pipettes can be bought at a chemist.

A dinoflagellate called Prorocentrum micans was abundant in water collected from No. 1 dock at Port Adelaide on 1/4/02. Ceratium, Euglena, Thalassiosira and Chaetoceros were present.

Brian Brock


Help With A School Assignment

We recently received an email request from a Year 5 student called Alice. She wanted information and pictures of both the Rodgers Sea-urchin and the White-barred Boxfish to be able to finish an assignment about temperate seas. I was asked to respond to Alice’s request and I sent her the following details : -

White-barred Boxfish are lovely little fish. They apparently occur from Kangaroo Is. to WA. They are said to reach a length of 31cm but I’ve only seen small ones. The largest one caught was 26cm long. The colouration of the adult males is quite different to that of the juveniles and females. Males become very red with distinctive white stripes (bars) towards the front and back. The females and juveniles are more an orange colour with slightly different white markings and they also have brown markings over the areas of white. Because of their humped back they are also called the Hump-backed Boxfish and also the Humpty-Dumpty. The scientific name for these fish is Anoplocapros lenticularis. The fish was first described by Richardson in 1841. Boxfish belong to the Family Ostraciidae. They are all considered to be poisonous.

Rodgers Sea-urchin belongs to the Family Centrechinidae. Its scientific name is Centrostephanus rodgersii. They occur in SE Australia. They have long, needle-like spines. Their colour ranges from a very deep purple-red to almost black. All sea-urchins are echinoderms, from the Phylum Echinodermata which means ‘spiny-skinned creatures’.

I was able to attach the following picture of a female White-barred Boxfish from our Photo Index. Unfortunately, we don’t have a picture of a Rodgers Sea-urchin yet

Steve Reynolds

Photographer:

David Muirhead


The following two Press Releases are included for your information.

Hon John Hill

Minister for Environment and Conservation

Minister for the River Murray

Minister for Gambling

Minister for the Southern Suburbs

Minister Assisting the Premier in the Arts

Monday the 1st of July, 2002

MARINE PLAN TO LOOK AT WHYALLA’S CUTTLEFISH

One of South Australia’s unique marine environments is to be given special status under a plan by the State Government to protect the cuttlefish spawning grounds off Whyalla.

Minister for the Environment and Conservation, John Hill said a special conservation zone is being planned to give legal protection to Whyalla’s unique cuttlefish breeding ground, as part of a marine plan being developed for the Spencer Gulf.

"The idea of a marine plan for the Spencer Gulf is to make sure that the needs of all users of the area are taken into account as part of a balanced planning process," the Minister said.

"The issues facing the cuttlefish breeding ground are a good example of the role the plan will be able to play in the Spencer Gulf, because its value as an environmental and tourism site needs to be acknowledged, as do the needs of the local fishing industry."

"I want planning for activities in the marine environment of the Spencer Gulf to be approached in the same detailed manner as if it were a development on land to make sure that all uses of the Gulf are sustainable."

"With a marine plan, we will be able to take into account the different users, so that fishing and aquaculture aren’t shut out and the marine biodiversity of the Gulf is protected."

"The first stage of the process to develop a pilot Marine Plan for the Spencer Gulf region, that of surveying and informing local government and the community, is already completed."

"The second stage includes the establishment of the Spencer Gulf Regional Consultative Committee to ensure that community and industry interests are further consulted."

"It is likely that the draft Spencer Gulf marine plan will be ready for public consultation by the end of 2002."

Hon John Hill

Minister for Environment and Conservation

Minister for the River Murray

Minister for Gambling

Minister for the Southern Suburbs

Minister Assisting the Premier in the Arts

Thursday the 11th of July, 2002

PROTECTING AND ENJOYING OUR HISTORIC

SHIPWRECKS

The first four titles in a new series of brochures outlining the importance of preserving South Australia’s historic shipwrecks were released today.

Environment and Conservation Minister, John Hill said the brochures highlight our State’s maritime heritage by providing information about enjoying shipwreck sites and advice on ways that we can help to protect them from damage.

"Over 800 ships have been lost along South Australia’s coast and inland waters and their wrecks are a testimony to our maritime past when settlement, transport, trade and communication relied on shipping," said Minister for Environment and Conservation, John Hill.

"South Australia’s shipwrecks are important educational and tourism assets as well as being mini-reef systems which provide habitat for marine creatures."

"For these reasons many wrecks are protected under Commonwealth and State legislation which prohibits disturbance to a site."

"South Australia’s shipwrecks are impressive diving and fishing locations, making them popular to a large section of the community but unfortunately visitors can also have an impact upon these fragile sites, including the damage caused by boats anchoring into a wreck or by divers disturbing a site.

The brochures provide valuable information to help visitors enjoy fishing and diving our shipwrecks while minimising their impact, and therefore ensuring that shipwrecks remain available for everyone’s enjoyment and interest in the future.

The brochures released today are:

Shipwreck Guidelines 1: Anchoring on Shipwrecks

Shipwreck Guidelines 2: Diving Shipwrecks

Shipwreck Guidelines 3: Snagged Objects

Shipwreck Guidelines 4: Historic Shipwrecks in South Australia

The brochures are available from The Environment Shop, 77 Grenfell Street, Adelaide.

For a copy of the brochures contact Terry Arnott, Maritime Heritage Officer, on 8204 9245.

Proposed Breakwater At Semaphore Park

At our June meeting we agreed to send the following letter to John Hill, the State Environment Minister :-

19/6/02

Mr John Hill

Minister for Environment & Heritage

GPO Box 1047

Adelaide SA 5001

Dear John

Re: Proposed breakwater at Semaphore Park

We are concerned at the development of this project.

We understand there was a recent public meeting (8th May) attended by nearly 200 people, almost all of whom voted for further community consultation and an independent review of the project, for which we would also like to add our support.

We are concerned about the effects of the removal of a large quantity of sand from Semaphore beach and the fact that the project is largely experimental.

We encourage the Government to develop strong and close ties with the community in the area and to keep the wider marine environmental movement well-informed of activities in the area.

We would also like to see the government explore alternative solutions to the erosion problem.

Yours sincerely

Philip Hall

President

Steve Reynolds


 

 

 

 

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