Echinoid Home Page - If you have a sea urchin-shaped gap in your general knowledge, then this site, from the Natural History Museum (www.nhm.ac.uk), could well be the place to fill it. With clearly written explanations and high-quality photographs, the author takes us through the biology of this prickly branch of the phylum Echinodermata (other branches including starfish and sea cucumbers,) detailing all major aspects of their evolutionary history, anatomy, diet, reproduction and more. There's plenty to learn: if you1ve never heard of pedicellariae then head straight for the defence section, where you'll see that spines aren't the only way that these amazing creatures protect themselves. Having introduced them, the site draws on the vast resource of the Natural History Museum collections to give details on many different types of sea urchin, and there's also a key to help identify any specimens you may find. Overall, a simple and useful website, although you might find a few unexplained technical terms in some of the more detailed sections. Rating: 8 out of 10 (18 November 2002) RJN
http://www.nhm.ac.uk/palaeontology/echinoids/
Ichthyology at the Australian Museum - The Australian Museum Fish site provides information on the science of ichthyology in general, with particular focus on the collections, research and fieldwork of the staff of the Museum Fish Department. In addition to answering the most basic of questions, from 'what is a fish?' to 'do fishes have tongues?', the site also provides more detailed information for fish enthusiasts and students alike. The 'student stuff' link allows students to carry out a virtual dissection of a fish, play a fish memory game and go on a virtual tour of the Museum fish collection. You can also view video clips of fish, which requires Windows Media Player, the Blue Groper being the star of the show for me. The site also links to the Australian Museum's online fish family identification key, which is a great online resource containing line drawings and simple choices which enable you to identify a fish down to its family level. Alternatively, if wish to find more information on a particular fish the 'find a fish' link lists species by type of fish and both common and species names. The list of the common names of fish included in the collection contains some bizarre examples from the Fly-specked Hardyhead, to the Magpie Sweetlips and Palespotted Podge to the aptly named Pineapplefish. My personal favourite was the Ornate Wobbegong! Simple yet attractive, the Australian Museum Fish site is easy to navigate and contains a search function and FAQ option for those who know what they're looking for. Rating 8 out of 10 (14 November 2002) LH
http://www.amonline.net.au/fishes/
Fisheries and Oceans Canada - The DFO web site is the voice of the Fisheries and Oceans Canada and accordingly comes in French and English. The three main topics, 'Conservation and Sustainable Resource Use', 'Marine Safety and Environmental Protection' and 'Scientific Excellence' are arranged round a compass for easy navigation. But the site is so packed with information that I strongly advise newcomers to go straight to the Help box in the bar at the top of the page; this makes browsing easier and provides a clear site map. Experts in fisheries will find all the documentation they need on development, policies, statistics etc. in the Conservation and Sustainable Resource Use and the "library" box in the bar. The Marine Safety and Environmental protection covers such matters as fleet information, Icebreaking program (with maps showing day by day ice cover). Scientific Excellence is for everybody - for example clicking on oceanography, climate research heading will eventually lead to articles like Impacts of Climatic Change on Arctic Wildlife, illustrating the ecology biology, conservation of terrestrial (polar bears, caribou) as well as marine (baluba) life, and the Underword fact files give brief illustrated accounts on marine life and related topics. I thoroughly enjoyed browsing through this well designed site, supported with good explanatory maps, diagrams and photographs. Those in the profession will find it indispensable, whilst others will find it packed with information you don't expect, even a corner for kids. The site is guaranteed to be updated because the home page carried leads to the FOC's magazine, Wavelength, and the latest political developments. It is easy to get lost, but there is an efficient Search faculty, actually with one of the best "tips on searching" I have every read. Rating: 10 out of 10. (22 September 2002) CCL
http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/index.htm
NEPSC Fish FAQ - The Fish FAQ, as the name suggests, is a list of Frequently Asked Questions about fish (although a big chunk of the list goes further, blurring the definition to include marine molluscs, crustaceans and mammals.) Browse through and you'll find all sorts of questions, from the obvious "how many kinds of fish are there?" through to more unusual questions, like "how do porcupine fish inflate themselves?" and "can fish swim backwards?" Answers come in the form of another long list, and some are longer and more illustrated than others. Aside from the 'fish' FAQ, you'll find links to a range of other resources from the US Northeast Fisheries Science Center and beyond, some aimed at a general audience and younger visitors, some only conceivably aimed at people whose lives have been dedicated to fish population dynamics and fisheries policy. Thankfully, there's a good glossary page and a set of factfiles on fish species to fill in at least some of the knowledge gaps. Overall, the site design is simple and attractive, and though you're unlikely to get lost, a way of searching the site wouldn't have been overkill. Rating: 7 out of 10 (4 September 2002) RJN
http://www.nefsc.nmfs.gov/faq.html
Man and Mollusc - This site really does have a great deal of material to peruse - you'll find about as much info on snails, slugs, squid and their kin as it's possible to pack into a website. Follow the 'Articles' link and read about the 'age-old and fascinating relationship' between human and molluscs, which includes everything from eating them and making jewellery from their shells to manufacturing cocaine and feeding chickens. Molluscan biology is also covered at great length: visitors can choose between in-depth advanced or toned-down beginner's versions of an article which goes through all the major types of mollusc and how they live their lives. As well as this you'll find an enormous collection of links to further reading, a midi-enhanced kids section, a 'mollusc of the moment' page with pictures and info on particular mollusc species, and that's just for starters. As the authors explain, "...just as today becomes the past and tomorrow becomes the present, man's uses of molluscs and their shelly homes is boundless." As if you ever thought otherwise... (1 December 2001) RJN
http://manandmollusc.net/
Orca Homepage - This site is targeted at anyone with an interest in cetaceans, better known as whales and dolphins. In addition to beautiful images of the whales, the site provides general information on Orcas and Orca research and detailed information and news on all Orcas living in aquarium and marine theme parks (currently 49 animals). The site provides photographs of all captive Orcas, as well as their histories, and advocates for releasing them or at the least improving their conditions. In addition, the Orca Homepage provides an extensive collection of links to web sites about conservancy, whale research, and other information on Orcas, and instructions on how to order Orca posters through the mail. Maintained by Stefan Jacobs, who has volunteered on whale research trips since 1992, Orca Homepage is a part of the Dolphin Web ring. (27 November 2001) RKM
http://www.orcahome.de/
EuroTurtle - A site for those who want information on the sea turtles of the world, and the problems they face in the wild. The two main sections, Education and Conservation, appear pretty self-explanatory at first glance... but seem to contain more or less the same information, just in a slightly different order. Either way, the material you'll find inside is comprehensive and well-done: the large Introduction to Sea Turtles section gives a good starting point, leading on to the Biology section which looks at turtle anatomy, behaviour and reproduction in more detail. The conservation area of the site discusses some of the threats to turtle survival, which include noise and light pollution, and some of the ways that these threats are being tackled. (21 November 2001) RJN
http://www.euroturtle.org/
