Remains of Sinel’s Oyster Park at Green Island February 2009
Joseph Sinel (1844 – 1929)
Local Naturalist and Archaeologist. Youngest son of Philip Sinel, wholesale tobacco merchant and Charlotte Babot. Born in St Helier 13th December, 1844. When fifteen he entered Voisin & Co.’s furniture Department, where he rose to manager; but even in those early years his main interest was Zoology. His spare time was spent at low tide amongst the rocks of St Clement’s Bay, where the wealth of marine life in the pools fascinated him, that he determined to devote his life to Natural Science. He resigned his position at Voisin’s, and started business as a taxidermist. While living at Samares, he made with John G. Romeril the large collection of wild birds of Jersey. He gave a number of lectures to a variety of groups. Papers which he contributed to “Science Gossip” brought him English correspondents, many of whom crossed to Jersey to obtain his help in collecting specimens. Charles Darwin and A Russel Wallace frequently wrote to him about topics of Marine Zoology. With his son in law, James Hornell, he built in 1891 a Biological Station at Havre Des Pas with aquarium tanks for the study of marine life and the supply of living specimens to students. He attempted to revive the local Oyster Fisheries. A Jersey Oyster Culture Company was formed and quantities of spat from Auray were placed in cage traps near Green Island; but the site proved insufficiently protected against storms, and the enterprise failed. In 1907 he became curator of the Société Jersiaise Museum, a post which he held till his death. Most of the zoological exhibits were his handiwork.
Amongst his works he published the following: “Fishes of the Channel Islands 1906” “An Outline of the Natural History of our Shores 1906” “Crustacea of the Channel Islands 1906” “The Children’s World of Wonders (3 vols) 1924”
Details from “A Biographical Dictionary of Jersey” G.R. Balleine
Marine Biology Section 