David, Michael.
Good to hear that they are taking this seriously in some parts.
Yes, Johan,I was, for once, making a serious enquiry.
(Don't worry about the hour. It's part of the NHS Sleep Deprivation Program. The “Friends of Nurse Rached”* wake me up to take blood pressure readings etc. every couple of hours just to ensure I don't enjoy my stay too much. )
Seems to me we have another case of the scientific community knowing perfectly well what the problems are but are unable to convince the politicians that action is necessary - until their political careers are threatened, that is. (Don't get me started on David “money-no-object” Cameron's sudden U-turn on global warming when half a dozen mansions in Surrey were getting a bit wet and not just a few thousand hicks in Somerset or darkest Wales!)
Graham.
Stirling work wading through all that “Committee-Speak” and even making sense of it!
The “Check,Clean, Dry” action plan will work for larger organisms, fish eggs etc but may not deal with the sort of viral and bacterial problems allegedly found in some fish farms.
Sea to fresh water and back? Again, it'll zap the larger organisms but I don't think it would worry your average virus. They famously withstand all sorts of extreme conditions.
Perhaps dousing a BR20 in Jeyes Fluid would be in itself more of a hazard than the risk from micro organisms but is that a call the average sailor (or anyone else) is qualified to make at the moment?
In recent years there have been unexplained deaths among sea mammals, birds and various fish species - usually attributed to pollution - but could imported aquatic nasties be responsible?
We all know about Dutch Elm disease and Ash Die-back and so one thing is for sure, if a virus does ever make the jump from one host species to another (think Bird Flu) in a closed ecosystem like Lake Bala the results could be devastating.
I can't say I'm actually losing sleep over this issue as yet but prophets of doom have a nasty habit of turning out to be right these days.
Well, here comes Nurse Rached with my morning dose of Tramadol ......and who's that with her?
A Consultant?
On a Sunday?
Ah, yes. The golf course is flooded, isn't it!
*Nurse Rached . If you haven't met her yet, click here:-
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nurse_Ratched