Andy Horton 23 April 2011
There were almost ideal condition for shrimping of Lancing Beach (east Widewater) with a gentle almost imperceptible swell, almost negligible Light Breeze Force 5, (5 mph, NNE), pleasant weather with an air temperature of 18.9 °C on the 9.50 am low tide of 1.1 metres. Brown Shrimps, Crangon crangon, were common (200+ caught in 40 minutes)
Andy Horton Some of the shrimps were too small for the pot. The water was clear and free of weed, but there was very little else around. I caught two young Plaice, one of which escaped and a handful shot off at the approach of the smaller (one metre) semi-circular shrimp net, and the only other incidentals were three very small Common Hermit Crabs, Pagurus bernhardus, in Grey Topshells (i.e. not Diogenes). Advection fog set in over the sea as the tide turned and the visibility was diminished to under 50 metres.
Andy Horton Does anybody go shrimping for the Brown Shrimp, Crangon crangon? Do divers or snorkelers see this shrimp ever? Lots of queries and not very well covered in English literature. Any scientific papers recently (last 20 years)? MBA etc. (I am no longer a member).
Andy Horton Photograph by Joe Bater on flickr Better than my pics.
Vinh Lam Here's one of mine, from a sandy rockpool at Brighton
Douglas Herdson Lots of Crangon when I was push netting in the lower Erme estuary (South Devon) on Saturday. Colour was variable (and changeable?) including one with dark green hepatopancreas. Also back in June at the Looe Bioblitz (SE Cornwall), there were Crangon in the West Looe river and I caught a few in my small fish sampling on East Looe beach.
Penny Martin We see them here in Orkney occasionally when snorkelling !!
Andy Horton What I would like to know is the months they are seen, also if they small or large and if they have got eggs etc.
Cath Waller We have a masters student here at the centre for environment and marine sciences working on Crangon.. Pete Seymour . I can put you in touch if you like.
Andy Horton Off the Sussex coasts, they are sparse and small inshore in autumn, and appear in shore in February, many more late March, but mostly in May and early June. Mid-June they disappear and I think the adults all die. This appears to be different on other coasts.
Andy Horton Yes please. No great hurry as this is long time research. http://www.glaucus.org.uk/SHRIMPING.htm
Andy Horton The page contains reports of shrimps caught and other critters found in the push-net. More records are held by others on paper.
Cath Waller I'll let him know tomorrow. He's been netting them from the intertidal for at least a year, and is looking at various parameters, including fecundity.
Andy Horton Depth of water useful and state of tide as well as they are inshore. But how deep are they found?
Andy Horton Also sizes. I know we have measured the larger ones. Ideally, we should have kept records of sizes and dates. Size in May.
Andy Horton http://www.flickr.com/search/?q=crangon
Jim Greenfield Pretty common in SE Scotland in the summer. This one from Pettico Wick, St. Abbs. Usually see them in sand or gravel. This one is carrying eggs.
Andy Horton In Sussex we do not see any (except young) between mid-June and August and they might only be big enough inshore by late September. Even then not many.
Douglas Herdson I had small and large on Saturday.
Laura J Hanley Likely to be reviews/surveys by RIVO-DLO Netherlands Institute for Fisheries Research...... often in English too ;-)
Andy Horton http://www.luciopercimprove.be/index.htm
Beccy MacDonald Hello lovely people, I am currently putting a piece of work together for some work experience students and need some photos of Carcinus maenas, Pleuronectes, Crangon crangon, Cerastodermus edule, Nereis sp. and Haematopus by tomorrow. If anyone has any that they dont mind me using could you please let me know or post them on here with permission, thanks :)
Andy Horton If you are really stuck: http://www.glaucus.org.uk/Shorecb3.jpg Permission to use for the reason stated. http://www.glaucus.org.uk/c-maenas.htm
Andy Horton Permission to use for the reason stated: http://www.glaucus.org.uk/Cockles.jpg It is the middle ones.
Andy Horton This is not very good either: http://www.glaucus.org.uk/crangon.JPG I hope somebody will reciprocate when I revise my Seashore presentation as my pictures used to be good but they are not up to scratch any more. Permission to use for the reason stated.
Andy Horton I have misplaiced my flatfish. I am sure the birders have got better Oystercatchers. And although I have got a Ragworm somewhere, it is not immediately to hand.
Andy Horton http://www.glaucus.org.uk/Shrimpers069e.jpg I am sure you would not want to use this one! I was behind the camera.
Andy Horton Permission to use this one. http://www.glaucus.org.uk/Crangon025.jpg My project for next issue is to get a decent picture of a shrimp.
Beccy MacDonald Thank you so much Andy, and also to Paula Lightfoot :)
Andy Horton Brown Shrimp, Crangon crangon
Does anybody go shrimping (push-net on the shore shallows) in the north Devon area, e.g. North Devon like Putsborough Sands or Woolacombe or Croyde. I have been to Woolacombe and if it was Sussex it looks promising. Enquiry received.
Andy Horton I am looking for personal experience: http://www.marlin.ac.uk/biotic/browse.php?sp=4599&show=all is quite comprehensive although its text does not match with the Sussex experience.
Andy Horton http://translate.google.com/translate?sl=auto&tl=en&js=n&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&layout=2&eotf=1&u=http://www.garnaalkruiers.be/Crangon%2520Vulgaris_A4_NL_in_tabel.htm
Gareth Horton Found the first weever fish of the year off Shoreham/wide water. Seems quite early. And quite painful!!
Andy Horton Hearsay or personal experience? http://www.glaucus.org.uk/weever2.htm The pain. Describe in detail for the records please and how the unfortunate fish was trodden on!
David Wilson Two of my 3 children have been stung. Matt was sorting through a shrimp net at Salcombe and was stung on the thumb. Sophie jumped over the side of the boat at Shell Bay, Studland straight on to a weaver. Bathing the area in water as hot as you can bear and anti-histamines help.
Andy Horton Over 40 degrees C, which I think is half boiling water and half tepid water
Gareth Horton Thought I'd replied earlier so apologies. 2.5 feet of water and paddling with the dogs east of the wide water Shoreham. Just caught the ball of my foot behind my left big toe. Was much like stepping on glass or sharp mollusc. Pain was 6/10 for 45 minutes then subsided with waves of soreness all day. First sting for twenty odd years so not bad for a bloke in the sea nearly everyday. Risks are low clearly but glad it was me and not dogs or young son!
Andy Horton One of the BMLSS members did the science on temps. I translated it by sticking the thermometer in a cuppa tea.
Ronald Surgenor Heres a link to one of my weaver fish photos, they can be handled with care and touch wood I haven't been stung yet!! a guy gave a tip of warming a damp towel on the engine block of a boat/car to wrap around the stung area until you get access to proper medical treatment. http://www.flickr.com/photos/ronaldsurgenor/4920060501/
Andy Horton That looks like a large one. Weevers have fierce razor teeth and its lucky they are not bigger as they could do some damage and make the Jaws teeth look tame. Also biting parasites. Deaths are very rare.
Huan Tan They taste good.
Andy Horton Greater Weever seen on the fishmonger's slab
Andy Horton George D Moffat: off Sussex, local boats, not many.
Douglas Herdson Greater Weever also gets caught off Devon and especially Cornwall. Not often landed, but occasional quarter boxes, presumably go for fish soup.
Andy Horton One or two reports indicate the Greater Weever may have a greater sting: (Quote) I was stung on the tip of my right index finger by a Greater Weever three years ago in Tenerife. After spending four days in the local hospital in intense pain, with my whole arm swollen to the size of my thigh, I have lost the use of this finger: I cannot bend it nor straighten it, it is always cold to the touch and any slight scratches take five to six weeks to heal. (Alan Brady). This could be another species though ??? Scorpion Fish species comes to mind. NB: Lesser Weever stings can have the effects of being unable to move toes.
Andy Horton weever | wiv | n. E17. [Perh. transf. use of OFr. wivre serpent, dragon, var. of guivre f. L vipera VIPER.] More fully weever-fish. Any of various elongated NE Atlantic fishes of the genus Trachinus and family Trachinidae, which lie half buried in sand and have venomous dorsal and opercular spines with which they can inflict painful wounds; esp. (more fully lesser weever) T. vipera, which is common along European and Mediterranean coasts (also called viperfish). Also (Austral.), any of various sand perches of the family Mugiloididae.
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Andy HortonEchiichthys vipera http://www.fishbase.org/Summary/SpeciesSummary.php?ID=1364 PS: Going shrimping this morning
Penny Martin enjoy the shrimping ... you are up early !!
Andy Horton I could not get to sleep.
Andy Horton Ideal shrimping conditions, but just an average shrimp haul. Two small Weevers but not much else and no Slipper Soles (which is unusual).
Andy Horton 28 May 2012
A special shrimping trip to Lancing Beach (by Widewater) (with Dudley, & others) in ideal weather conditions (1.5 metre neap low tide) caught three pints of Brown Shrimps, Crangon crangon,between us, but there was not much else in the nets: frequent flatfish fry, two small Lesser Weever, Echiichthys vipera, one swimming crab Portumnus latipes with "fleur-de lis" markings, one Vernal Crab, Liocarcinus vernalis, one badly damaged (but still alive, it nipped me) Masked Crab, Corystes cassivelaunus, a few large green Shore Crabs, Carcinus maenas, and a small Plaice, Pleuronectes platessa, (or possibly a Flounder?).
