MLSSA

Newsletter

SEPTEMBER 2001

No. 281

"Understanding, enjoying & caring for our oceans"


 

Next Meeting 19/9/01

The next meeting is the September General Meeting which will be held at the Conservation Centre, 120 Wakefield Street on Wednesday 19th September commencing at 7.30pm.

Ross Belcher to be our speaker for September. His topic is the GABMP (Great Aust Bight Marine Park). Ross is the GABMP’s Park Manager with National Parks & Wildlife SA.


 

Contents

2002 MLSSA Calendar

At last, a Southern Right Whale

Sea Turtle Sighting At Somerton

Hand-Caught Fish

Web Sites

More Early Naturalists

Do Fish Sleep?


 

 

 

If you will not be at the September Meeting then please contact a Committee Member for a supply of these calendars.

As you can see from the picture we have chosen another spectacular range of our wonderful undersea life.

The Leafy Seadragon is again featured as it is now the South Australian fish emblem.

The general sale price for the calendars is A$10 a copy but members can purchase personal copies for A$8. Bulk order (20+) prices for non personal purchases can be negotiated.


 

At last, a Southern Right Whale

Two Southern Right Whales (Eubalaena australis) died in South Australian waters in July this year. It is the first time since white settlement that such an event has been recorded in South Australia. What makes the first death even more historic is that its entire carcass was washed up, dissected and transported to the South Australian Museum’s Bolivar Maceration Facility and is the only Southern Right Whale skeleton held by any Australian museum and probably the only one in the world.

The first whale was noticed at the beginning of July whilst still alive in the Great Australian Bight with longline wrapped around its tail flukes. It died a few days later and washed up near the Head of the Bight, ironically on the very day when the SA Museum was going to permanently close Bolivar. The death of this whale has saved Bolivar at the eleventh hour and a television station has also come to the scene, rumoured to be sponsoring the Museum with this particular issue for an undisclosed but apparently rather large sum of money.

Cath Kemper, mammal curator, along with up to 15 volunteers cut the flesh off the whale for up to a week on the beach where it washed up, working in extremely cold conditions with great white sharks circling in the shallows, drawn by the smell. National Parks and Wildlife (SA) also helped enormously by providing 4WD vehicles and dragging large chunks of flesh to be buried under the beach. After this huge effort, the 14m skeleton was finally loaded onto an enormous semi-trailer that also transported a Pygmy Sperm Whale (Kogia breviceps) and took up to four days to arrive at Bolivar.

Curatorial officer for Bolivar, Bob Hamilton-Bruce (a good friend of mine) and I spent two full days cleaning umpteen pairs of wellies, waders, every knife available, all the field gear, and emptying and filling vats all in preparation for reception of the skeleton. The day the skeleton arrived I unfortunately could not be present, but according to Bob it was a media frenzy, every TV channel was there and at least three newspapers. There were up to 40-50 people present to witness the skeleton parts being lifted off the trailer by a huge crane, and lowered into the enormous, outdoor, concrete vat (7m long x 3m wide x 1.5m deep) specially designed for large whales such as this. Only the skull and mandibles (jaw bones) went into the large vat initially and all other post-cranial parts, i.e. vertebrae, flukes and ribs went inside the main building to await further attention.

The next day Bob and I and another volunteer, Lisa, spent a hard day trying to cut off the majority of the blubber from the skull. We used two traditional whaling knives, that have long, curved blades and long handles, as well as large kitchen knives. We often adopted the technique of two people working together, one cutting whilst the other pulled the flesh back with sharp hooks. The amount of oil that came out of the blubber and meat, was quite astonishing, so we had to be extremely careful maneuvering in the slippery vat. There was also massive quantities of sand lodged in between the flesh and the bones. The sand kept blunting the knives, so we had to stop frequently to resharpen. It took us a full day’s work but we did it.

The following day it was just Bob and I. We tried to hose off the majority of the sand from the skull and mandibles, so it didn’t stick to the bones during the maceration process. Once it was as clean as we could get, we finally started to fill the tank with water. As it happened the large quantity of sand just sat on the floor of the vat and did not appear to get mixed in to the water as the vat filled. The oil, of course, floated on the water and is still coming out of the flesh even a week later. Once the vat was about half full we started to put in the sections of vertebrae, having previously hosed most of the sand off them. After the vertebrae, the ribs went in one at a time. The ribs were the largest I have ever seen. Some were 2m long easily and heavy and slippery. Did you know that Southern Right Whales have a floating rib just like many other mammals? Fortunately they were the smallest of all, coming in at just under a metre. Despite all this extra stuff taking up more room, the vat was still not completely full by the time we left.

After a much-needed weekend break, it seemed as if we had never been away. Another volunteer, Ana, joined us to help flense (take the meat off) the two flippers. Initially we thought this to be rather easy as the blubber appeared to be rather deep, however, we soon discovered that the depth of the blubber varied greatly across the flipper and in some parts was so shallow over the bones and connective tissues that there was almost no blubber at all. The flippers were too big to go in one of the smaller vats, of which there are six. We had to find the ‘elbow’ joint between the humerus and the radius. Once we had cut the connective tissue around the joint, we then managed to break the flipper into two part by lifting it up with a crane and using its own weight to bring it down on top of itself over a table. It took all day but we managed to get each flipper in their own vats and filled with water by the end of the day.

Finally, the last day, more than two weeks after the whale died. We had one more piece to deal with. It is the very last section of the spine, the caudal section. We could not put this in the large vat with the rest of the vertebrae as the parts become very small and may have easily been lost down the drain when the vat was emptied. This piece was particularly tough, its flesh had the texture of leather on the outside and was at a difficult angle. There appeared to be very little blubber on this section. We took off what we could and cut large, deep grooves in the meat to allow the water and bacteria inside with ease. I was sceptical that this section would fit in with one of the flippers, but fortunately the very end piece, where the tail flukes would have come out, was very flexible and bent nicely to fit in a basket with a flipper.

While all this work was taking place on the bones, another person, Ron, was taking care of the large sections of baleen that had been brought back. Baleen is made from keratin, the same protein that human hair and nails is made from. It is used as a massive sieve to capture their food, such as krill and other small planktonic crustaceans and small fish. First Ron had to hose all the sand off it, which was no small task. The baleen plates are very solid, but they are covered in course hair, which all the sand stuck to strongly. Once they were clean he then began to cut the plates into sections. Each section is labeled and stored in plastic bags in a freezer. The cold stops the baleen from deteriorating.

I should mention that a large part of our time was spent sharpening and cleaning knives, particularly at the end of each day. Not to mention cleaning our waterproof aprons and our wellies. We all wear clothes we don’t mind getting dirty and smelly underneath full length overalls, then the aprons on top. We also go through an astonishing amount of rubber gloves (the kind you use to wash up dishes). There are protective glasses and shower caps for those who wish to use them. And when we use the built-in crane we are required by law to wear hard hats and believe me there are a few times when I have been thankful for that!

And for those of you worried about how the maceration process takes place, fear not, there are no nasty chemicals used at all. We simply add the water, sometimes we heat it a little, and then let the bacteria already present in the flesh culture and eat away at the meat. The only chemical we used was a strong citrus-based degreasing detergent for washing the knives and other equipment.

After all the bones were safely in vats, filled with water, signs written on to say what was in the vat and the lids safely on we breathed a huge sigh. But then came the clean up. This took up the majority of the afternoon. The floor was absolutely disgusting. Not only was it very slippery but it seemed as if half the sand on the beach had been brought back with the bones. We tried to sweep most of the sand out of the building so it wouldn’t get into the septic tanks. Then came the fun part. The steam cleaning machine comes with various attachments, but we usually only use one. We put the concentrated detergent into a bottle attached to a hose and when we switched the machine on a white foam spray went all over the place, so once the bottle was finished it looked as if Christmas had come early! We gave the floor and some of the vats a really good scrub and then hosed it all down. I have to say we were very proud of the result. Things were, once again, spick and span.

It had been a huge job. I hope in a couple of years we can say it was worth it, if and when the skeleton gets to be seen by the public hanging in the Museum.

Alex Gaut


 

Sea Turtle Sighting At Somerton

I have written the odd article in the past about turtles. As Editor I included several newspaper cuttings from The Advertiser in our June 1992 Newsletter (No.179). The cuttings went under the heading "Marine Turtles in SA". The first cutting was about a turtle sighting in Spencer Gulf. Our July 1999 Newsletter (No.257) included my article "Turtles, Tortoises & Terrapins". I am now revisiting the topic of turtles following the reported sighting of one off Somerton recently.

On 16th June Rob McDonald and his wife Chris were in their boat approximately 1½ km off of Somerton Beach when they came across a large dark turtle approximately 1m wide and 2m long. Its shell was not smooth but was pointed at the top and had concave plates. It appeared to be basking. When they approached to within 2m it quickly submerged. It surfaced again after about 5 minutes but soon submerged again when Rob and Chris approached once more. Rob and Chris were keen to find out more about their sighting. That evening they sent us an e-mail request for information. The e-mail message set out the above details of the sighting and added that they wished to find out the type of turtle that it was and if it was a common variety to these waters. The request was passed on to me to answer.

 

I got quite a surprise when I received the e-mail request since Rob and Chris had both been instructors on my dive course in January 1978. I quickly sent them a reply. It was good to renew contact after so many years. In my e-mail I asked if they had contacted the SA Museum for help. I then set down my own thoughts about different species of marine turtles.

I said that I remembered reading about a turtle sighting years ago in The Advertiser which said that it was not all that unusual. I then went on to say that most sea turtle sightings still occur in tropical waters. Books on subjects such as the Great Barrier Reef do not mention the distribution of turtles in southern waters. Green Turtles, Loggerheads or Flatbacks/Greybacks don’t seem to occur in southern waters. The Olive (or Pacific) Ridley is a rare visitor to GBR waters. The Hawksbill Turtle has overlapping plates but a flattened body. The Leatherback Turtle, which has no plates at all, seems to be a temperate waters species. All six species nest on Australian coasts. I said that I would try to get more information from the library but I first wrote more details in an attachment to the e-mail.

I told Rob and Chris that I had managed to find the report that I had read in The Advertiser years ago. Someone had seen a large turtle 18 kms off of Port Hughes in 1992. Actually, it was enormous! The people thought that it was 2m wide. The paper’s expert said that it was probably a Leathery Turtle (Leatherback). Instead of a hard carapace, they have a soft, leathery shell. They easily grow to 2m in length. 2m wide, however, seems unlikely. The 1992 sighting was green to black whilst this latest sighting was a dark colour. A Leatherback apparently has 3 distinct longitudinal ridges on its back. The paper expert said that Leatherbacks are not especially rare in SA. Some half dozen sightings are apparently reported each year. Leatherbacks are also called Luths and may reach some 2.9m in length. Green Turtles reach only 1.2m in length and Flatbacks are smaller, reaching just 1m. The edges of a Flatback’s shell turn upwards. It seems that only the Leatherback penetrates into temperate waters.

Leatherback Turtle

I also said that I had ordered a book from my library to try and find out more information. Unfortunately, I forgot to send the attachment with my first e-mail. In the meantime I received a reply from Chris. She described the turtle as 1.5m across, very dark in colour with a very thick neck and a (very thick) tail. The features of the shell were very prominent and sharp. Its shell was not smooth but had definite steps or ridges that were very distinct. These ridges were from the front of the animal right to the back section, starting from the centre of the shell and moving out or stepping down towards the outside edge of the shell (sort of in rows and a bit like roof tiles). She also said that Rob was going to ring the museum to try and explain it to someone.

The book that I borrowed from my library was titled "Turtles & Tortoises of the World". It was written by David Alderton and first published in 1988. It is a nice book but it has very little information about sea turtles in it. It has even fewer pictures of sea turtles. Whilst I was visiting another library I found a book about reptiles and snakes. I found a good picture of a Leatherback Turtle in it. I noted that it mentioned that these turtles have seven ridges on their shell.

I contacted Rob by phone to find out how he got on with the museum. He said that the museum were not much help since they only told him that it was a sea turtle that he had seen. The museum had apparently received numerous enquiries about turtle sightings and they were not overly interested in any details. Rob went on to describe the turtle to me in his own words. I still could not be certain that it would have been a Leatherback by his description. Rob would talk about ‘steps’ and ‘plates’ whereas I tried to focus on a series of ridges. He confirmed that it had a big thick head and a big thick pointed tail that had plates of its own.

I offered to send Rob a collection of turtle pictures for him to study and identify his sighting, but I have yet to do this. I also asked him to let me know if he ever gets a photo of anything like this.

Steve Reynolds


 

Hand-Caught Fish

In 1994 an elderly woman wanted so much to better her husband's efforts in catching a 25lb Snapper by hand. In 1985 he had caught his prized fish in the shallows at Streaky Bay. Nine years later at Silver Sands his wife waded out about 30m in 1.5m seas and grabbed a 1.5m live Broadbilled Swordfish by the tail. The rare 15kg fish was trapped in a gutter behind a sandbank. She caught it at the second attempt, dragged it onto the beach, threw it over her shoulder and carried it to the roadway where she accepted a lift home with her catch.

Steve Reynolds


 

More Webpages to Try

To continue on from last month, here are some more interesting websites. I have visited some of these sites and found them quite fascinating. I cannot vouch for the validity of the entire set however. Give them a go, you may be surprised what you learn!!

Try These from "Diving Medicine On Line"

http://www.scrtec.org/track/tracks/s07177.html

http://www.divegirl.com/medicine.html

http://www.bsac.co.uk/techserv/ndcb35s.htm

http://www.marlinx.freeserve.co.uk/bsac.htm

http://www.austmus.gov.au/fishes/

http://www.brooklynaquariumsociety.org/

http://www.geocities.com/dolphingirlspod/

http://users.bigpond.net.au/palliser/

http://uk.geocities.com/rhian_louise/sharks.html

http://www.reef.crc.org.au/

http://www.conservefish.org/

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/lostsub/

http://www.nationalgeographic.com/pearlharbor/

http://www.dive50states.com/

http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/

http://www.world-divers.com/

http://www.mabelharri.com/

http://www.scubawomen.org/

http://www.austmus.gov.au/is/sand/bluebottle.htm

http://www.dreamwater.net/edu/manowar/

http://www.seaworld.org/killer_whale/killerwhales.html

http://www.arctic.noaa.gov/

http://www.bio.usyd.edu.au/CRRI/crri-ind.html

http://www.tunafree.com.au/

http://www.flinet.com/gulfstream/bell.html

http://www.submarine.freehosting.net/

http://www.aquarius.geomar.de/omc/

http://consumer.pdr.net/consumer/index.htm

http://www.improbable.com/ig/ig-top.html

http://www.ourworldunderwater.com/

http://www.fishclubs.com/WI/MAS/

http://www.sharkattacks.com/

http://www.rodneyfox.com.au/index.html

http://www.gbr.wwf.org.au/

http://www.seashepherd.org/

http://www.blue-oceans.com/scuba/dive_psychology/

http://www.retina.ar/2001_ocean/

http://indianocean.free.fr/

 

Philip Hall


 

More Early Naturalists

Count Bernard Germaine Etienne de la Ville Lacepede was a French naturalist who described many of Australia’s fish species between 1798 and 1804, mostly during the time of Nicolas Baudin’s expedition. Baudin’s scientific expedition to Australia was between 1800 & 1804.

Perhaps the most notable of Australia’s fish species that Lacepede described is the Weedy Seadragon. He described the Weedy in 1804 when he named it Syngnathus taeniolatus. His description was published in "Ann, Mus. d’Hist. Nat. 4" with details on page 211, plate 58, figure 3.

There is a Lacepede Bay near Cape Jaffa in South Australia that is probably named after Lacepede. Baudin also wanted to name SA’s Investigator Strait after Lacepede but Matthew Flinders beat him to it, naming the strait after his ship. There are also some islands off of Dampier Land, WA called the Lacepede Islands.

Two other ichthyologists were Bloch and Schneider. They also described many of Australia’s fish species in 1801 during the time of the expedition by Baudin. They described lots of species together and individually. They also described a few species in the late 1700s but most were described precisely in 1801 for some unknown reason.

Steve Reynolds


 

 

 

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