Welsh Journals

SOME RECENT RARE AND UNUSUAL MARINE FISH IN NORTH WALES E. I. S. REES and D. J. GROVE To a considerable extent, assessment of rarity in fish depends on the methods one uses to collect them. Fish regarded as common by anglers are sometimes unusual to the trawlerman, and neither group of fishermen is familiar with the small shore fishes. For present purposes rarity is based partly on Wheeler (1969) distribution maps and partly on records in the card index marine fauna list at the Marine Science Laboratories, Menai Bridge. The laboratory is occasionally asked to identify unusual animals and these notes are compiled partly from records of fish brought to us. A number of them are certainly vagrants, but as no list has been published for North Wales since Forrest (1919) we have also taken the opportunity to clarify the status of some other species. Petromyzon marinus Sea Lamprey A freshly dead Porpoise (Phocaena phocaena) was picked up in a trawl on 18 December 1969 off the west coast of Anglesey. It had a number of oval scars and fresh wounds with a clear pattern of tooth marks typical of described attacks by the Sea Lamprey. The older wounds had many lice (Isocyamus delphini) in them. Scyliorhinus stellaris Nurse Hound This southern species is not uncommon in Caernarfon Bay and egg cases often wash up on the west coast of Anglesey. In Liverpool Bay, however, one caught on 10 October 1972 eight miles north of Colwyn Bay is unusual. Mustelus asterias Smooth Hound This species has been confused with M. mustelus. Several specimens caught in Caernarfon Bay since 1966 have all been the white spotted form, M. asterias. Raja microcellata Painted Ray This south western species seems to be caught regularly in small numbers in Caernarfon Bay. Four were taken on 17 October 1968 and, during a period of two months in autumn 1971, one small trawler took at least 15. Entelurus aequorus Snake Pipefish There are four recent records of this generally uncommon species: 25 March 1959, Penmon; 17 April 1961 and 4 October 1967, Rhosneigr, and 1970, Red Wharf Bay.