Outdoor Creatures

Where Do You Find The Shellfish of Wales (outdoor animals)

By Monika Nolte

 Although most of the shellfish caught in the waters around Wales is exported to the Continent, you can catch lobster, crab, crawfish, mussels, cockles, shrimps, oysters, scallops, limpets, and periwinkles or find them in local fishmongers and restaurants.

Shellfish

Lobster is Britain’s largest crustacean and specimens as large as 14 pounds have been caught off the south western coastline of Dyfed. The average weights however are between 2 and 3 pounds and they normally measure 8-20 inches in length. Lobsters live along the rocky coastline of Wales and are blue with brown markings. Sizable quantities of lobsters are caught along the coasts of Dyfed, the Lln Peninsula and Anglesey. Most of them are exported to the Continent, with France enjoying the majority of them.

Crab is found in many ports along Cardigan Bay, in particular, New Quay, Barmouth, Aberdaron, the north coast of Anglesey and St. David’s Head in Dyfed. They are generally caught in wickerwork, wire or plastic pots. Some as heavy as 12 pounds have been caught but this is unusual, they are normally about 10 inches across the shell.

Crawfish, also known as langouste, spiny lobster or rock lobster. These shellfish are slightly larger than a true lobster but they have smaller pinchers and are regarded as a delicacy in France. Found along the rocky western coasts of Wales - Pembrokeshire, New Quay, Barmouth, they are exported primarily to France.

Mussels are found all round the Welsh coast wherever there are suitable rocks to which they can attach themselves. Mussels prefer to be continuously covered by water where they can feed constantly on the organic material carried down from the rivers, so the best mussel beds occur below the low water mark. The commercial exploitation of the mussel is concentrated in river estuaries. The Conwy estuary was amongst the most important fishery for mussels until the late 1970’s and mussels were gathered from the shore or from the deep water during the winter months. However, in the Menai Straits mussels farming is becoming increasingly important.

Cockles live close to the surface of the sand on sheltered tidal shores, the most extensive beds are in Carmarthen Bay, especially the Burry Inlet. Most of the cockle gathering is done from three north Gower villages.

Shrimps occur widely along the Welsh coast. Some are caught in trawl nets and traps in the Severn, Wye and Dee estuaries. They are abundant all around Wales, particularly in the autumn.

Oysters are found off-shore in shallow water and were, until the beginning of the 20 century, of considerable economic importance in Swansea Bay and to a lesser degree off the south coast of Pembrokeshire. Oyster beds have been artificially planted in parts of Wales but sadly oyster dredging has virtually disappeared.

Scallops live in deep water off-shore or on gravelly sea beds. They are commercially dredged in Cardigan Bay and until 1985, considerable quantities were treated in a processing plant in the Ceredigion village of New Quay.

Limpets are rock clinging snails and occur widely on the sea shore. They were never gathered commercially but were used as food in the coastal communities of Ceredigion and the Lln Peninsula.

Species such as hake, cod, plaice and haddock are caught by trawlers from ports such as Milford Haven, Swansea and Cardiff, although their fishing fleets have declined significantly. Other fish such as turbot, flounder, sole, dab, brill, whiting, mackerel, herring and mullet occur profusely along the northern coastal waters of Wales. The sea bass has become more important in recent years as it commands a high price in the market.

Although the seas around Wales still have plentiful species of fish, sadly the commercial fishing industry is not what it was 50 years ago.

Contact Monika at http://www.rhwhseo.co.uk/ if you would like to get more information on Article Writing. Perhaps you would like something written for your website or blog. Contact her now at rhwhseo@gmail.com you won’t be disappointed. She can help you get the exposure your website needs with well written articles. This article written for David Thomas Fishing Guide.

Pet Sitters

By Aarmow

 You and your pet actually develop a special bonding when you take care of all his needs and he in turns gives you loyalty and company but it becomes a real challenge to find a suitable person to look after your pet when you are away. Many of us are lucky to have friends and families who are ready to look after the pets but others may not be so interested because of their own reasons.

Nowadays more areas have pet sitting services. A pet sitter is a person on contract basis that looks after your pet at home when you are away. A pet sitter is a qualified specialist in pet care who is paid to take care of your pet and thus provide you and the pet many benefits. If a person has lust for nature and loves animals this is a right profession for you where you can earn while enjoying your interest. Many professional institutes are helping to improve pet sitter services by providing them with training based on pet first aid, animal husbandry etc. The duty of a professional pet sitter is to take care for pets while the owners are away, either for business tours or vacations. Most of the professional pet sitters are licensed, and their liability including care, custody, and control of the pets in their care is insured. Pet sitters provide variety of services.

More and more people are adopting pet sitters while they are not at home as their pets get relief from ‘traveling trauma’ because pets need not to be shifted. When they are looked after at their own home only thereby reducing stress on them, exposure to illnesses and parasites are reduced to a minimum. Pets don’t need to adjust to new environment or live with other animals, they can stay home and remain on the same diet and routine and in so doing, your family members and friends are not imposed upon. This helps you get a piece of mind as your pet is looked after by some professional, protecting your house from burglars as he brings in your newspaper and mails and provide other services like watering plants etc. Pet sitters have a much important role to play than just to provide the pet with food and water.

A professional and experienced pet sitter will also spend quality time with the pet, give him exercises and would take him to veterinary if he needs. Most of the pet sitters provide additional services, like taking in mail and newspapers and watering plants.

Pet sitters could be found on the recommendations based on friends, neighbor, veterinarian or, dog trainer. Looking in online directory may also help. National Association of Professional Pet Sitters (800-296-PETS) or Pet Sitters International (336-983-9222) may also be contacted for getting pet sitter.

It is important to know about the qualifications and services provided by the pet sitter and to interview the candidate at home or on phone before recruiting him for the job.

To Find Sitters in Your Area, Read More Here.

Information On Outdoor Creatures And Pets

Why Dehydration Is So Serious For Your Cat

By Alistair Barrow

 Dehydration in cats is a serious medical condition which can even cause death of your pet cat. This disease is also known as hypohydration and is a potential life threatening situation in certain situations or extreme heat. This disease is caused due to extreme loss of water and essential electrolytes (sodium, potassium and chloride). Most of the animals are generally made up of 60% water and when this ratio falls by 5% or more, the cats shows symptoms of dehydration.

Causes of dehydration in cats include the following: Diarrhea, Vomiting, Increased urination, Heatstroke, Fever and Blood loss

Signs of dehydration include: Dry mouth, Sunken eyes, Reduced skin elasticity, Lethargy, Increase in the heart rate, Constipation and Reduced capillary refill time

To find out the intensity of the dehydration levels of your pet cat you can simply gently pull some skin at the base of the cat’s neck. In a normal cat, you will observe an immediate retraction of the skin, however, in case of a dehydrated cat; the skin will take a longer time to retract. The time of the retraction completely depends on the severity of the dehydration. This procedure is also known as the Skin Turgor Test.

You can also test the dehydration by placing your finger on your cat’s upper lip and by pressing the gum. When you remove the finger, you will observe a white mark on the gum where the pressure was given. Keep a watch in front of you and note down the time it takes for the original color to return. In normal conditions, the original color will be back within 2 seconds; however, in the dehydrated cats it will take a longer time. This method is also known as the capillary refill time test.

Ways to avoid dehydration in cats

Always keep in mind that there should be a regular supply of fresh drinking water.

The cat should be provided a sheltered and a cool area.

In case of a sick cat, keep a close look for symptoms of dehydration. If necessary, take your cat to a vet for a complete checkup.

If your cat has diarrhea, immediate veterinary attention should be given.

Take your cat to a vet immediately if it shows signs of increased urination or thirst.

Keeping a cat as a pet is not only about having fun but you have to be very responsible when it comes the health of your pet.

The author writes for a barrow website and writes articles about pet shops in barrow.

garden creatures

Wednesday, December 30th, 2009 at 6:00 am and is filed under pets. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.