Conservation push yields results for UK sea life but challenges remain

Wildlife Trusts report comeback of rare seahorse breed and nudibranch slugs but plastic pollution still poses grave risk

Helen Pidd North of England editor

Mon 31 Dec 2018 00.01 GMT Last modified on Thu 3 Jan 2019 08.45 GMT

A rare kind of seahorse and a rainbow-coloured sea slug with a titillating name are among the creatures making a comeback in UK waters, according to an annual conservation review.

The coast around Britain is now home to more than 100 species of nudibranchs – brightly hued, soft-bodied marine molluscs that appear nude because of their lack of external shells. The Wildlife Trusts credited a big conservation push around the coast for their proliferation.

It was a good autumn for sightings of curled octopus, the trusts said, and basking sharks were seen in Cardigan Bay for the first time in three years. The Wildlife Trusts are a grassroots movement of 800,000 people who help survey shores to gather information and monitor marine protected areas.

In Dorset, fishermen have been reporting sightings of the extremely rare short-snouted seahorse off the Purbeck coast. This toothless breed has a short, upturned snout, which it uses to suck up its favourite prey of small shrimp and plankton. Not very good swimmers, they use their tails to cling on to seagrass or seaweed, and they face various threats, from trawlers scouring the seabed to yacht anchors, according to the Wildlife Trusts.

In Cornwall, the spiny lobster or crawfish is making a comeback from overfishing in the 1960s and 1970s, while undulate rays seem to be thriving along the south coast, though they are still considered endangered following over-exploitation.

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Tens of thousands of starfish wash up on British beach following extreme change in temperature – via Nichola Sullings

Lewis Pennock 

Thousands of dead starfish washed up on a British beach following the 'beast from the east' weather snap.

The spectacular scene in Ramsgate, Kent, was described as "like the armageddon" by wildlife enthusiast Lara Maiklem, 47, who photographed the phenomenon.

She estimated "hundreds of thousands" of starfish and other sea life were washed ashore this weekend following the spell of subzero temperatures.

Lara travelled to the beach with her five-year-old twins, Edie and Beau.

And in a bizarre twist, they also discovered a pair of false teeth among the mass of dead wildlife.

She said: "It was incredible. There were starfish as far as the eye could see, there were fish in there and sea urchins.

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Protection of UK’s sealife ‘too slow and lacking ambition’

MPs’ report questions government’s commitment with less than a quarter of marine conservation zones created after four years

Jessica Aldred

The Guardian, Saturday 21 June 2014

Conservation zones to protect the UK’s marine life are being created too slowly and lack ambition and commitment from the government, according to a committee of MPs.

Four years since the launch of the government project to create a national network of Marine Conservation Zones (MCZs) designed to protect sealife and give fish stocks space to recover, only 27 of the 127 sites recommended by experts and stakeholders in the government’s own consultation have been designated.

Marine Protected Areas, a new report from MPs on the environmental audit committee (EAC), examines the government’s progress to date and says that the pace at which the zones have been designated is “disappointing and suggests a lack of government commitment to this initiative”.

Chair of the committee, Joan Walley MP, said the government must stop trying to “water down” its pledge to protect the UK’s seas and “move much more quickly” to establish further protection zones and ensure they can be enforced.

Continued

Survey reveals some children struggle to identify turtles, rays and even penguins

British children are struggling to identify some of the most common sea life, according to research commissioned by the National SEA LIFE Centre Birmingham, with some as old as 12 unable to correctly name a turtle.

The research was carried out to establish the extent of children’s knowledge of marine life. More than 500 youngsters between the ages of five and 12 were shown images of various species of sea life including a ray, turtle, otter, seahorse, octopus, jellyfish, penguin, clown fish, crab and starfish.

Overall, boys performed slightly better than girls of the same age, and children in the Midlands, East Anglia, Scotland and Wales were the best performers by region. Those in Northern Ireland, the North East and London had the highest number of incorrect answers.

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