Volunteers are being asked to log sightings of basking sharks in a survey that aims to find out more about the world's second largest fish.

Four weeks on from the shocking incident that led to the death of 26 dolphins near Falmouth, research released Monday sheds new light on the extent of the problems facing Cornwall's marine mammals.

ONE after the other they came, drawn to the lethal shallows by the distress calls of the dying. It was the worst mass stranding of marine life on the British coast for 27 years.

By Olivier Vergnault The Isles of Scilly, the Manacles off Cornwall's Lizard peninsula and Lyme Bay could all become Marine Conservation Zones. The Wildlife Trust charity is hoping the three areas will be protected when the Government's 2002 Marine Bill becomes law next year.

The seas around the Westcountry have become a "barren wasteland" for large fish and mammals, conservationists have warned.