08-09-2014, 02:14 PM
2
Re: Coastal rock pools
I have those same great memories. I have always been fascinated by sea life and used to have salt water aquariums. As an adult I would bring back hermit crabs and sometimes star fish in small aquariums for the students at my son's school to enjoy as many had never even seen the ocean.It does seem as though the beaches we visit are overwhelmed with tourists these days and possibly that is part of the reason the sea life seems to be diminishing in some areas. Shell collectors and hobbyists have over picked the area, but there are still places you can go which are protected to view nature in its natural habitat.
Here's a link to a few on the west coast of the USA.
http://www.visitcalifornia.com/Artic...otected-Areas/
08-09-2014, 07:57 PM
4
Re: Coastal rock pools
Originally Posted by Artemis
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It does seem as though the beaches we visit are overwhelmed with tourists these days and possibly that is part of the reason the sea life seems to be diminishing in some areas. Shell collectors and hobbyists have over picked the area, but there are still places you can go which are protected to view nature in its natural habitat.
My gut instinct is that it is due to some sort of environmental change within the sea, probably due to some man-made cause like fish farms or increased motor boats. Or even something like acid rain?
08-09-2014, 07:58 PM
5
Re: Coastal rock pools
Originally Posted by Nom
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My local coastal patch has daily rockpool rambles run by the local council via the lighthouse visitor center, still seems a steady supply of crabs and small fish, and shrimps but its a while since ive seen a starfish.
09-09-2014, 03:05 PM
7
Re: Coastal rock pools
I haven't seen much change here. The rock pools still seem to have plenty of life about them. I've not found urchins in the pools, but judging by the number of shells I see, they must be quite plentiful.. Loads of anemones.Orangutan, do you ever gather and eat dulse?
10-09-2014, 10:17 AM
9
Re: Coastal rock pools
Although I now live in the UK Midlands, I was born and brung up in Torquay, South Devon, and, yes, like most small boys I spent endless hours poking around in rock pools annoying the inhabitants. The usual suspects were all there, anemones, sponges, prawns, small crabs and little fish caught by the outgoing tide, blennies I think. I once found a trapped three foot conger eel in a pool, it looked extremely pissed off so I left it alone. I don't know about nowadays, but back in the 50s/60s, Torbay seemed to have annual plagues of small jellyfish which were washed ashore in the summer and stank the place out. Oh, and one dead pilot whale, I seem to remember.We often holiday down in Cornwall out of season and, of course, go for beach walks and I can say that, at least down there, nothing much has changed, apart from the type of flotsam and jetsam you find now. Once a few years back, the whole of the South West Cornwall shoreline was littered with literally thousands of disposable lighters, I assume a container had been lost from a ship.
10-09-2014, 10:30 AM
10
Re: Coastal rock pools
Try looking in the rock pools as the tide is on its way out and the water in the pool is still active, you see more life then, when the water in the pools is still, they are usually lifeless. I envy the TV presenters who fill a bucket with fishy things from one rock pool, I wish that I knew where that pool existed.
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