Nova Scotia is not the only place with odd looking lobsters; the original Scotland also has some strange colour morphs dwelling in its waters.

If you visit the rock pool at Deep Sea World in North Queensferry, you can for instance encounter one electric blue lobster with white markings and one pitch-black lobster adorned with vivid orange colours that contrast beautifully against the dark areas. Picture here

The blue lobster was caught a quarter of a mile off the coast of Fife on the Scottish east-coast last year by Buckhaven fisherman Keith McKay, 47.

McKay said he had occasionally seen dark blue lobsters since he started laying creels with his father as an 11-year-old boy.

But he added: “I’ve never seen anything like this one in my life. I was surprised at how pale a blue it was. It was really brightly-coloured. I would call it electric blue. I was so surprised I pulled up alongside another fishing boat to show them what I had caught.”

Strangely coloured lobsters are the result of them being genetically different from other lobsters. In the wild, not having the normal olive-grey, mottled camouflage pattern is a disadvantage since predators can spot gaudy lobsters easily against the ocean floor, but for the lobsters living at Deep Sea World, the “genetic defect” actually turned out to be an asset since their flamboyant colours is what saved them from ending up on a dinner plate.

Around 55 percent of coral reefs in South Sulawesi waters have been damaged by destructive fishing practices, the South Sulawesi marine and fishery service announced on Wednesday. Due to the destructive practise of throwing explosives into the water to catch fish, only 45 percent of the coral reefs in the national marine park of Takabonerate are in good condition.

The Indonesian Naval personal have arrested fishermen in South Sulawesi for using explosives to catch fish, but the practise continues.

Takabonerate is considered the world`s third most beautiful marine park and has received an award from the World Ocean Conference (WOC) which was held in Manado, North Sulawesi, this month. This marine park is located within the famous Coral Triangle; a Pacific region home to over 75 percent of the world’s known coral species. This figure becomes even more remarkable if you take into account that the triangle only comprises two percent of the world’s ocean.

Hopefully, the situation in the region will improve as six heads of state/government participating in the Coral Triangle Initiative (CTI) Summit organized as part of the WOC signed a declaration on May 15, approving the Coral Triangle Initiative Program. Within this program, the six countries who share this amazingly coral rich region will coordinate their protection of marine resources.

Over 120 million people depend on the Coral Triangle ecosystem for their survival and would suffer greatly if the diversity of fish, shellfish and other marine creatures were to become depleted due to unsustainable fishing practises.

According to Korean scientists, brass can be used to make shellfish a safer choice at the dinner table. “We showed that copper ions diffuse out from a brass plate into a fish tank filled with seawater, and within 40 hours the copper killed 99.99% of the Vibrio food poisoning bacteria contaminating the living fish and shellfish,” says Dr Jeong-Weon Huh from the Department of Health Research at the Gyeonggi-do Institute of Health and Environment.

When a brass plate is placed in a tank filled with seawater, copper ions will diffuse out from it and be absorbed by the Vibrio bacteria, causing them to die and fall of infested fish and shellfish. The copper will not only kill bacteria present on the outside of the animal, it will also get into the internal organs and kill Vibrio bacteria there. The dead bacteria will then be flushed out of the animal and sink to the bottom of the tank.

So, is this a safe method? According to Dr Huh¸ any remaining copper ions in the saltwater will be absorbed by sand and polyester filters and leave fish and shellfish suitable for consumption. “By being able to remove the copper ions, we can prevent people from consuming excess copper themselves, but let them safely enjoy any kind of fish, either raw or cooked.”

Raw fish and shellfish forms a major part of traditional Korean cuisine and finding a way of reducing the risk of food poisoning is high on the agenda for the Gyeonggi-do Institute of Health and Environment. Between 2003 and 2006, roughly 12 percent of food poisoning cases in Korea were caused by Vibrio bacteria. According to Korean tradition, the safest way to serve food is in a so called bangzza bowl – a bowl made from a 78% copper and 22% tin mixture. The researchers have now managed to show that this metal mixture emits enough copper ions to kill off nasty microbes like Vibrio bacteria. Using this traditional type of kitchenware might be a feasible way to prevent serious gastrointestinal infections in situations when it is difficult to uphold a high level of hygiene and sanitation.

Dr Jeong-Weon Huh revealed his findings at the Society for General Microbiology’s autumn meeting at Trinity College, Dublin.

The Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has temporarily suspended shellfish harvesting from a portion of the Delaware Bay. The suspension began at August 19 after health officials had confirmed two cases of illness linked to oysters harvested from the bay. The illness was caused by Vibrio parahaemolyticus, a bacterium that can cause symptoms such as diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramps and, less frequently, headache, fever and chills. On rare occasions, an infection in the bloodstream can occur. Vibrio parahaemolyticus is especially prone to cause problems for people with compromised immune systems. Vibrio parahaemolyticus occurs naturally in coast waters. Since it thrives in warm waters, a majority of the cases occur during warm summer months when people consume sea food contaminated with the bacterium.

Delaware Bay is a large estuary outlet of the Delaware River on the Atlantic coast of the United States. The bay is bordered by the states New Jersey and Delaware. The entire bay is 782 square miles (2,030 km²) in area, but only about 130 square miles (337 km²) of Delaware Bay is affected by the suspension. If you wish to see a map of the affected area, take a look at this PDF-file:

http://www.state.nj.us/dep/wms/bmw/Closures_Revocations/HarvSusp20080818signed.pdf

The public notice has been posted on the DEP website: http://www.nj.gov/dep/newsrel/2008/08_0042.htm