Plants and Animals

“A prominent marine researcher says it is not necessary to quantify how many dugongs are being harpooned each year as part of Indigenous catches.

“Professor Helene Marsh, from James Cook University in north Queensland, says she is confident there are healthy stocks of the marine mammal in northern Australian waters.

“She says results indicate at least 40 per cent of dugongs are likely to reside in Northern Territory waters.

“Professor Marsh says there are a range of management tools that could be applied to improve the sustainability of Indigenous dugong harvesting and that working with individual coastal communities would be a far more effective way to protect the animals.

“Some communities may choose to regulate catches, some communities may choose to have closed seasons,” she said.

“Other communities may choose to have closed areas, other communities may want to you some sort of gear restrictions.”

Read more here: http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/02/15/2163405.htm

Mainstream media , Reuters and Norwegian paper Aftenposten, have reported the Norwegian whaling quota this season will be the same as for the previous 3 years, 1052 minke whales.

“ We set quotas not according to what is likely to be caught , but what is sustainable” , director at Norway’s Fisheries and Coastal Affair Ministry, told Reuters on Friday.

The ministry said in a statement that it sets quotas “conservatively”, ensuring “complete safety in regard to conserving minke whale stock”.

Prowhaling paper Fiskeribladet, wrotes on Saturday that the area of whaling will be halved, and the whalers are not satisfied with this decision.

A rough and short translation from Fiskeribladet :

“A maximal quota of 10 whales is set for each whaling vessel. The Ministry states this is due to that 2008 is the last year in the five year management period, which is based on the regulation of the minke whale quota calculation, states State Secretary, Vidar Ulriksen.”

Ann Novek
Sweden

Plants that flower and fruit from their main stems or woody trunks rather than from new growth and shoots, are described as cauliflorous or cormiflorous; those that flower from the branches are ramiflorous. The Scarlet Bean (Archidendron ramiflorum ssp. Cooper Creek) is a spectacular example of both which is currently in bloom.

The buds appear in clusters about the trunk and branches and open to reveal a stunning cascade of white filaments up to 75 mm long. The flowering is very short-lived, lasting only one day. About eight months later, glabrous fruit develops into a coil, from 80 to 250 mm long, in a discrete shade of green, until turning dramatically red as a prelude to opening. The bright yellow-orange inner tissue reveals distinctive black seeds as an invitation to a diversity of feathered distributors.

Last month I suggested about 1,000 dugongs are killed each year in northern Australian waters and that this is too many. Today, ABC Online is quoting fisherman Peter Manning suggesting a figure of 1,600 dugongs. Mr Manning says all Australians should be concerned about the impact of Indigenous hunting on dugong stocks.

Read more from Peter Manning here: http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/02/06/2155453.htm

My blog post of January 21, 2008, can be found here: https://jennifermarohasy.com.dev.internet-thinking.com.au/blog/archives/002704.html

————————-
It costs time and money to maintain this site, your willingness to help cover the costs is appreciated: https://jennifermarohasy.com.dev.internet-thinking.com.au/display/donations.html

Beauty, it is said, is in the eye of the beholder … so behold, the beautiful Robber Fly. These predatory insects launch into attack from an established perch and catch their prey on the wing. Strong, heavily barbed legs grasp the prey, which is lanced with modified mouthparts in the form of a stabbing proboscis, injecting saliva containing neurotoxic and proteolytic enzymes.

Robber Flies are somewhat intimidating in close proximity. Unlike March Flies, they do not seem interested in human fare, but they are invariably given wide berth, nonetheless.

I associate the presence of Robber Flies on nocturnal vegetation with the change from cold and secretive to hot and revealing.