Pinnipeds, people and photo identification: the implications of grey seal movements for effective management of the species

AbstractGrey seals (Halichoerus grypus) of the North-east Atlantic are protected at designated European Marine Sites (Special Areas of Conservation, SACs) typically during their reproductive periods and in the UK at Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). As a mobile marine species, grey seals spend other parts of their annual life cycle in non-designated habitat. There is limited information on individual grey seal movements in south-west England. Citizen science photo identification (PID) revealed the movements of 477 grey seals at a regional scale (54 haul-outs up to 230 km apart) for over a decade. Reconstructed movements showed considerable individual variability. Four SACs were linked to up to 18 non-designated sites and two SSSIs in Cornwall were linked to a maximum of 41 non-designated sites. Observations support the value of existing SSSIs at both the well-connected West and North Cornwall sites. Thirteen Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) were visited by grey seals from four SACs and two SSSIs in Cornwall. As a mobile species, grey seals could be included in English MPA management plans. The application of functional linkage from SACs and SSSIs, informed by the movements evidenced in this research, could aid management efforts. This analysis reveals grey seal movements occur across a complex network of interconnected designated and non-designated sites that need to be managed holistically for this species for which the UK has a special responsibility.

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Grey seal diet at the southern limit of its European distribution: combining dietary analyses and fatty acid profiles

Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom ◽

10.1017/s002531540705463x ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 87 (1) ◽

pp. 255-264 ◽

Cited By ~ 13

Author(s):

V. Ridoux ◽

J. Spitz ◽

C. Vincent ◽

M.J. Walton

Keyword(s):

Fatty Acid ◽

Feeding Habits ◽

Stomach Contents ◽

Individual Variability ◽

Foraging Strategies ◽

Grey Seal ◽

Adult Males ◽

Southern Limit ◽

North East ◽

Conger Eel

The north-east Atlantic grey seal, Halichoerus grypus, is widely distributed along the European coastline from northern Russia to France, with the core population centred around Scotland. To date, very little is known of the diet of the species at the southern margin of the species range. However, because grey seal numbers have been increasing over the last few decades in France, the issue of their potential interactions with coastal fisheries is frequently raised. The diet of grey seal in the Molène Archipelago was investigated by combining scat, stomach content and fatty acid analyses, since all three approaches have complementary potentials to reveal feeding habits of a predator. A total of 145 scats mostly of moulting adult males, 14 stomach contents of yearlings and 14 blubber samples from animals of all ages were analysed following standard methodologies. Scats revealed a diet mainly constituted of 50.6% by mass (M) of wrasse, Labridae (mostly Labrus bergylta), 20.7%M conger eel, Conger conger, and 11.9%M sea bass, Dicentrarchus labrax. Stomach contents were made up of 52.3%M cuttlefish, Sepia officinalis, 9.5%M sole, Solea solea, and 9.4 %M conger eel. All these prey are different from the diet observed in core areas. Fatty acid analysis from the blubber confirmed that the diet differed between the Molène Archipelago and one of the Scottish breeding sites. It also showed that most of the inter-individual variability was explained by variation in seal body masses, which could be linked to behavioural ontogeny of foraging strategies. Most of the prey species identified in the food of the grey seal in Brittany are also targeted by professional and/or recreational fisheries in the area; additionally, several prey size-ranges also partly overlap with marketed size-ranges for several species.

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Availability of ‘Do-It-Yourself’ orthodontics in the United Kingdom

Journal of Orthodontics ◽

10.1177/14653125211021607 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 146531252110216

Author(s):

Annabelle Carter ◽

Susan Stokes

Keyword(s):

Web Search ◽

Dental Treatment ◽

Limited Information ◽

Treatment Length ◽

Do It Yourself ◽

Dental Professional ◽

The Uk ◽

Product Costs ◽

Age Range

Objective: To identify the number of companies providing Do-It-Yourself (DIY) orthodontics and explore information available on websites for DIY brace providers operating in the UK. Design: Web search and review of websites providing DIY braces. Setting: Leeds, UK. Methods: A Web search was completed in November 2020 and April 2021 of all companies providing DIY braces for UK consumers. Each website was evaluated, and the following data collected: name; year started operating; costs; process; involvement of a dental professional; average ‘treatment’ length; retention; consent process; information on risks and benefits; aligner material; social media presence; age suitability; and consumer ratings on Trustpilot. Quality of website information was assessed via the DISCERN tool. Results: Seven DIY orthodontic companies were operating in the UK. Websites reviewed revealed the following: product costs were in the range of £799–£1599, ‘treatment’ length quotes were in the range of 4–12 months; Trustpilot reviews were in the range of 1.6–4.8 stars; and websites claimed their aligners were suitable for individuals with an age range of 12–18 years. Quality of content regarding risks described on websites varied, and there was limited information regarding involvement of a dental professional. Quality of websites information scored ‘poor’ or ‘very poor’ on the DISCERN scoring. Conclusions: There has been an increase in the number of DIY orthodontic companies operating in the UK over the last three years. There is a need to determine whether these products constitute dental treatment in their own right. If so, it is crucial to ensure these are regulated appropriately with adequate information available to satisfy informed consent and have greater transparency over dental professional involvement to safeguard the public.

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Thermal limits for flight activity of field-collected Culicoides in the United Kingdom defined under laboratory conditions

Parasites & Vectors ◽

10.1186/s13071-020-04552-x ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 14 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Laura A. Tugwell ◽

Marion E. England ◽

Simon Gubbins ◽

Christopher J. Sanders ◽

Jessica E. Stokes ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Companion Animals ◽

Flight Activity ◽

Cold Temperature ◽

Threshold Temperature ◽

Thermal Limits ◽

Laboratory Conditions ◽

North East ◽

Temperature Thresholds ◽

South East England ◽

The Uk

Abstract Background Culicoides biting midges (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) are biological vectors of internationally important arboviruses and inflict biting nuisance on humans, companion animals and livestock. In temperate regions, transmission of arboviruses is limited by temperature thresholds, in both replication and dissemination of arboviruses within the vector and in the flight activity of adult Culicoides. This study aims to determine the cold-temperature thresholds for flight activity of Culicoides from the UK under laboratory conditions. Methods Over 18,000 Culicoides adults were collected from the field using 4 W down-draught miniature ultraviolet Centers for Disease Control traps. Populations of Culicoides were sampled at three different geographical locations within the UK during the summer months and again in the autumn at one geographical location. Activity at constant temperatures was assessed using a bioassay that detected movement of adult Culicoides towards an ultraviolet light source over a 24-h period. Results The proportion of active adult Culicoides increased with temperature but cold temperature thresholds for activity varied significantly according to collection season and location. Populations dominated by the subgenus Avaritia collected in South East England had a lower activity threshold temperature in the autumn (4 °C) compared with populations collected in the summer (10 °C). Within the subgenus Avaritia, Culicoides scoticus was significantly more active across all temperatures tested than Culicoides obsoletus within the experimental setup. Populations of Culicoides impunctatus collected in the North East of England were only active once temperatures reached 14 °C. Preliminary data suggested flight activity of the subgenus Avaritia does not differ between populations in South East England and those in the Scottish Borders. Conclusions These findings demonstrate seasonal changes in temperature thresholds for flight and across different populations of Culicoides. These data, alongside that defining thresholds for virus replication within Culicoides, provide a primary tool for risk assessment of arbovirus transmission in temperate regions. In addition, the study also provides a comparison with thermal limits derived directly from light-suction trapping data, which is currently used as the main method to define adult Culicoides activity during surveillance.

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Injury incidence and locomotor behaviours in polocrosse ponies

Comparative Exercise Physiology ◽

10.3920/cep190021 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 16 (1) ◽

pp. 29-33 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

K. Yarnell ◽

G. Starbuck ◽

A. Riley ◽

A. Woodhead

Keyword(s):

Injury Risk ◽

Gps Data ◽

Injury Incidence ◽

Limited Information ◽

Physical Demands ◽

The United Kingdom ◽

Injury Risk Factors ◽

Training Programmes ◽

The Uk ◽

Type Of Injury

There is currently limited information available regarding the physical demands of polocrosse and no information on the specific veterinary problems faced by polocrosse ponies in the United Kingdom. Polocrosse requires the ponies that compete to perform rapid acceleration, sharp turns and sudden halts. The study aim was to explore the injury incidence and type of injury, between the three positions played by polocrosse ponies. Injuries that resulted in withdrawal of a pony during outdoor tournaments in the UK over the 2015 and 2016 seasons were recorded. In addition, GPS data and locomotor behaviours were recorded during winter league tournaments in 2017 and compared between the different position ponies. Ponies that played in the defence position were significantly more likely to become injured (P<0.001) with lameness being the most common cause for withdrawal (P<0.001). Ponies playing in the attack position achieved the fastest speeds and covered the furthest distance. Defence ponies performed significantly more abrupt halts (P=0.007), walk to gallop transitions (P=0.017) and sudden changes in direction (P=0.01) than midfield ponies and more of each manoeuvre than attack ponies, although this was not significant. It is important that the physical demands placed upon polocrosse ponies are investigated further; this will allow identification of injury risk factors, inform training programmes and improve the performance and welfare of the horses involved.

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'Greenfields' and 'Brownfields': automotive industrial development in the UK and in Portugal

Finisterra ◽

10.18055/finis1791 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 31 (62) ◽

Author(s):

Andrew Pike ◽

Mário Vale

Keyword(s):

Industrial Policy ◽

Automobile Industry ◽

Industrial Development ◽

Development Strategies ◽

North West ◽

Demonstration Effect ◽

North East ◽

The North ◽

The Uk ◽

The Impact

The industrial policy in the UK and in Portugal, as in most EU countries, seeks to attract new investment capacity, to create jobs and to promote the impact of the so-called "demonstration efect" of "greenfield" development strategies pursued in the new plants of inward investors on existing or "brownfield" plants. This industrial policy focus is particularly evident in the automobile industry.This paper compares the industrial policy oriented towards the automobile industry in the UK and in Portugal. Two recent "greenfield" investments are analised: Nissan in the North-East region (UK) and Ford/VW in the Setúbal Peninsula (Portugal), as well as three "brownfield" plants: Ford Halewood and GM Vauxhall Ellesmere Port in the North-West region (UK) and Renault in Setúbal (Portugal). The first part starts with a discussion of industrial policy in the automobile sector, the role of "greenfield" development strategies and the "demonstration effect" on "brownfield" plants. Then, the limits of new inward investment are pointed out, basically their problems and restrictions. Afterwards, the structural barriers to the "demonstration effect" within "brownfield" plants are outlined and some possabilities for alternative "brownfield" development strategies are presented.

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Estimates of the size of the Baltic grey seal population based on photo-identification data

NAMMCO Scientific Publications ◽

10.7557/3.2731 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 6 ◽

pp. 163 ◽

Cited By ~ 25

Author(s):

Lex Hiby ◽

Torkel Lundberg ◽

Olle Karlsson ◽

John Watkins ◽

Mart Jüssi ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Baltic Sea ◽

Population Based ◽

Point Estimate ◽

Grey Seal ◽

The Baltic Sea ◽

Photo Identification ◽

A Value ◽

Seal Population ◽

The Baltic ◽

Year 2000

The size of the year 2000 summer population of grey seals in the Baltic Sea was estimated using identification of individual seals from photographs taken over a period of 6 years. Photos were taken at haul-out sites within all major grey seal areas in the semi-closed Baltic Sea. The point estimate is 15,631, based on a value for annual survival of identification markings of 0.904, which was also estimated using the photo-id data, with 95% confidence limits from 9,592 to 19,005. The estimate is subject to an unknown, but probably small, upward bias resulting from the risk of failure to identify all individuals in the photographs used for the analysis. An estimated minimum of 15,950 seals were counted at moulting haul-outs in 2003, which thus provides a lower bound on the population size in that year and represents 80% of the photo-id point estimate.

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Information about Antimalarial Chemoprophylaxis in Hospitalised Patients — Is it Adequate?

Scottish Medical Journal ◽

10.1177/003693309704200105 ◽

1997 ◽

Vol 42 (1) ◽

pp. 13-15 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

D. Nathwani ◽

J Spiteri

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Plasmodium Falciparum ◽

East Coast ◽

Central Africa ◽

Public Health Problem ◽

Oil Boom ◽

North East ◽

The North ◽

Hospitalised Patients ◽

The Uk

Malaria remains a huge public health problem worldwide, with over 100 million new cases annually, causing one to two million deaths.1 This global problem spills over into the UK, with around 2000 cases of reported annually.2 The proportion of infections due to Plasmodium falciparum (PF) continues to increase and worse still accounts for five to 12 deaths per year. In 1992, Nathwani et al reported the 10 year experience of malaria cases admitted to the Regional Infection Unit, in Aberdeen, Scotland-the “Oil Capital”.3 This study was of interest in that 46% of those British residents who acquired infection had travelled to West or Central Africa on oil related business. The Oil boom of the 1980‘ s appeared to very much centred around Aberdeen and the neighbouring hinterland but did not appear to extend to Dundee which was only 60 miles further down the North-East coast. We, therefore, carried out a retrospective study of patients with malaria admitted to the Regional Infectious Diseases Unit in Dundee over a fifteen year period between 1980 and 1994.

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Using emissions derived from atmospheric observations to inform the reported UK inventory

10.5194/egusphere-egu21-7486 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Alistair Manning ◽

Alison Redington ◽

Simon O'Doherty ◽

Dickon Young ◽

Dan Say ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Best Practice ◽

Dispersion Model ◽

Regional Scale ◽

Atmospheric Dispersion ◽

Three Dimensional ◽

Ghg Emissions ◽

Atmospheric Observations ◽

Emission Modelling ◽

National Inventory Report ◽

The Uk

Verification of the nationally reported greenhouse gas (GHG) inventories using inverse modelling and atmospheric observations is considered to be best practice by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). It allows for an independent assessment of the nationally reported GHG emissions using a comprehensively different approach to the inventory methods. Significant differences in the emissions estimated using the two approaches are a means of identifying areas worthy of further investigation.&#160;An inversion methodology called Inversion Technique for Emission Modelling (InTEM) has been developed that uses a non-negative least squares minimisation technique to determine the emission magnitude and distribution that most accurately reproduces the observations. By estimating the underlying baseline time series, atmospheric concentrations where the short-term impact of regional pollution has been removed, and by modelling where the air has passed over on route to the observation stations on a regional scale, estimates of UK emissions are made. In this study we use an extensive network of observations with six stations across the UK and six more in neighbouring countries. InTEM uses information from a Lagrangian dispersion model NAME (Numerical Atmospheric dispersion Modelling Environment), driven by three-dimensional, modelled meteorology, to understand how the air mixes during transport from the emission sources to observation points. The InTEM inversion results are submitted annually by the UK as part of their National Inventory Report to the UNFCCC. They are used within the UK inventory team to highlight areas for investigation and have led to significant improvements to the submitted UK inventory. The latest UK comparisons will be shown along with examples of how the inversion results have informed the inventory.

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Inequalities in awareness and availability of bereavement services in North-East England

BMJ Supportive & Palliative Care ◽

10.1136/bmjspcare-2020-002422 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. bmjspcare-2020-002422

Author(s):

Donna Wakefield ◽

Elizabeth Fleming ◽

Kate Howorth ◽

Kerry Waterfield ◽

Emily Kavanagh ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Phase 1 ◽

Waiting Times ◽

Financial Strain ◽

Web Based ◽

North East ◽

The North ◽

Referral Criteria ◽

National Guidance ◽

The Uk ◽

The Impact

ObjectivesNational guidance recommends equality in access to bereavement services; despite this, awareness and availability appears inconsistent. The aim of this study was to explore availability and accessibility of bereavement services across the North-East of England and to highlight issues potentially applicable across the UK, at a time of unprecedented need due to the impact of COVID-19.MethodsPhase 1: an eight item, web-based survey was produced. A survey link was cascaded to all GP practices (General Practitioners) in the region. Phase 2: an email was sent to all services identified in phase 1, requesting details such as referral criteria and waiting times.ResultsAll 392 GP practices in the region were invited to participate. The response rate was 22% (85/392). Twenty-one per cent (18/85) of respondents reported that they do not refer patients, comments included ‘not aware of any services locally’. A total of 36 services were contacted with 72% responding with further information. Most bereavement specific support was reliant on charity-funded services including hospices, this sometimes required a pre-existing link with the hospice. Waiting times were up to 4 months.ConclusionsAlthough multiple different, usually charity-funded services were identified, awareness and accessibility were variable. This survey was conducted prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, where complex situations surrounding death is likely to impact on the usual grieving process and increase the need for bereavement support. Meanwhile, charities providing this support are under severe financial strain. There is an urgent need to bridge the gap between need and access to bereavement services.

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Reducing pressure ulcers across multiple care settings using a collaborative approach

BMJ Open Quality ◽

10.1136/bmjoq-2018-000409 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 8 (3) ◽

pp. e000409 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Julia Wood ◽

Bob Brown ◽

Annette Bartley ◽

Andreia Margarida Batista Custódio Cavaco ◽

Anthony Paul Roberts ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Pressure Ulcers ◽

Length Of Hospital Stay ◽

Community Services ◽

Care Community ◽

North East ◽

The North ◽

Healthcare Improvement ◽

The Uk ◽

Breakthrough Series Collaborative ◽

The Impact

In the UK, over 700 000 patients are affected by pressure ulcers each year, and 180 000 of those are newly acquired each year. The occurrence of pressure ulcers costs the National Health Service (NHS) more than 3.8 million every day. In 2004, pressure ulcers were estimated to cost the NHS £1.4–£2.4 billion per year, which was 4% of the total NHS expenditure.The impact on patients can be considerable, due to increased pain, length of hospital stay and decreased quality of life. However, it is acknowledged that a significant number of these are avoidable.In early 2015, it was identified that for the North East and North Cumbria region the incidence of pressure ulcers was higher than the national average. Because of this, a 2-year Pressure Ulcer Collaborative was implemented, involving secondary care, community services, care homes and the ambulance service, with the aim of reducing the percentage of pressure ulcers developed by patients within their care.The Breakthrough Series Collaborative Model from the Institute for Healthcare Improvement provided the framework for this Collaborative.In year 1, pressure ulcers were reduced by 36%, and in year 2 by 33%, demonstrating an estimated cost saving during the lifespan of the Collaborative of £513 000, and a reduction in the number of bed days between 220 and 352.

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