‘Something Fishy’ About Monster Fun

A Giant sea monster was brought back to life at a nature reserve to celebrate National Marine Week.

Theatre group the Desperate Men brought a life-size model of a sea sturgeon, once native to the Humber Estuary, to Far Ings Nature Reserve, in Barton-Upon-Humber.

Children who came to see the monster were delighted by the play and able to make their own sea creatures, including flying fish.

Ellen Frost (10), of Forkedale, Barton, said: "I felt sorry for the sturgeon and hope it can find another one to mate with.

"I like the sea and I think I know more about sea creatures now.

"I have been making fish out of foil with marbles underneath so they can ‘swim’ across the table."

But the celebrations also had a serious side, aiming to put pressure on the Government to provide better protection for marine life.

Wildlife Trusts spokeswoman Lissa Goodwin said the idea behind the fun was to launch National Marine Week.

"We want better protection for marine mega fauna – the big fish and mammals, including sea sturgeon, basking sharks, and dolphins," she said.

"We used to see these sorts of creatures in large numbers in our waters but they have all become very rare.

"If we can implement good, protective legislation for healthy, resilient and productive seas, we can potentially set up an environment for the recovery of these fish."

The disappearance of mega fauna, which are animals at the top of the food chain, is a worrying sign for the health of a whole ecosystem.

Semi-retired sea captain Mike Hogan, who had come to share his own sea-going experiences with the children, said: "The big fish eat the smaller fish, so if the bigger fish are not being seen as much it means the smaller fish are not around to be eaten.

"Recent sea surveys have shown there has been a north-south shift of plankton in the North Sea.

"Plankton are the beginning of the whole food chain so if they are being affected by climate change, everything else – including the fish at the top of the chain – is affected too."

(c) 2008 Scunthorpe Evening Telegraph. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.