Fishy behaviour…

 

With all the hullaballoo in and around the jetty and harbour, you may be forgiven for assuming that there may not be much happening beneath the surface waters on Brownsea Island. 

 

But you’d be wrong. 

 

As we’ve seen in the last two Autumnwatch shows, there’s an abundance of amazing species and habitats around here.   And one place where you can effortlessly see the range and beauty of just a few of these species isn’t on the jetty or even at the beach. 

 

 

It’s at Dorset Wildlife Trust’s headquarters on Brownsea, the Villa…

 

 

The seawater aquarium showcases some spectacular-looking species which all live in and around the lagoon and castle jetty.  It includes ballan wrasse, corkwing wrasse, goby, blenny, grey mullet, sea scorpion and shore rockling to name (and show) but a few:

  

 

 

 

 

 

So you can see the coastal waters around here are fabulously rich in marine life and, although it would be great to see it for myself, I’m rather relieved I don’t have to don a wetsuit to find out more. 

 

 

And these beauties become even more endearing when you find out a bit about their behaviour. 

 

Do you know that, each spring, the male corkwing wrasse decorates his bachelor pad - okay, a rocky crevice - with colourful pieces of seaweed.  He spends time arranging them carefully so they are just right.

Then the female wrasse tour the reef, checking out the males’ interior design credentials.  If he’s done a good job, the female will lay her eggs there, leaving him to look after them.  Sounds like a plan to me!

 

There’s no doubt we are just starting to scratch the surface when it comes to learning about the wonderful creatures which live in our coastal waters.

 

 

It’s vital for us to find out more about this fascinating underworld so we start to appreciate what we have.   

 

One thing the aquarium doesn’t have – but which are in UK waters – is the sea slug.  And they get up to some sexy shenanigans.  As a hermaphrodite, it indulges male and female desires at the same time.  Apparently, the slugs form chains – and even complete circles – where each slug is playing the female to the slug behind and the male to the slug in front.  Sauce! 

 

I, for one, am joining in with the rallying cry that there has never been a more important time to stand up for the UK’s seas.  We need to have the Marine Bill now…