Marine species and habitats
what's New on this page...
What makes the South West's
marine environment special?
Approximately 50% of the UK's biodiversity is found in the marine environment.
The coastal and marine areas of the South West support some of the richest
habitats in the world:
- The waters surrounding Lundy Island, off the coast of North Devon,
are England's only Marine Nature Reserve,
- Important for coral reefs exist in Lyme Bay
- The Dorset & East Devon Jurassic Coast is a World Heritage Site.
- 14 coast and marine Special Protection Areas (SPAs)
- 6 Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) (Lundy, Isles of Scilly complex,
Fal & Helford, Plymouth Sound & estuaries, Chesil & the Fleet, Braunton
Burrows)
- 42% of England's fishing operations
- Half of all shellfish waters designated by Defra
The maritime environment is particularly significant in the South West
as the ratio of coastline to land area is the highest of any region.
What affects the quality
of the marine environment?
The marine environment, its species and habitats are particularly sensitive
to human activities, such as pollution from run-off, discharges and the
dumping of waste. Climate change is also posing a particular threat to
coastal areas and sea fisheries, the latter which is also being seriously
depleted by over fishing and unsustainable fishing methods.
See sections on coastal water, bathing
water quality, shellfish water, estuaries,
fishing, pollution
incidents & fly-tipping and climate
change for more information.
More information and external links on pressures can be found
here.
Marine Bill White Paper -
a new approach to protecting and using the marine environment
A radical new approach to protecting and using the marine environment
was set out in proposals published by Defra in March 2007.
The White Paper provides an opportunity for people to help shape plans
for the Government's Marine Bill. The proposals include:
- a new UK-wide system of marine planning
- a streamlined, transparent and consistent system for licensing marine
developments
- a new mechanism to protect marine biodiversity, including marine
protected areas
- improvements to the management of marine fisheries
- the creation of the Marine Management Organisation (MMO) to join
up the approach to the marine environment.
A consultation on how to develop new laws affecting the marine area will
take place until the 8th June. Sea
Change - A Marine Bill White Paper covers planning in the marine area,
licensing marine activities, how to take forward marine nature conservation
proposals and the potential for a new marine management organisation.
Marine species trends in the
South West
The coasts of Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, areas of the Bristol Channel and
the western approaches of the English Channel are extremely important
in terms of their wealth of dolphins, whales and porpoises (collectively
known as cetaceans). 20 different cetacean species (out of the 35 recorded
in European waters) have been sighted in these areas (along with the Celtic
Deep, St. George’s Channel, the Southern Irish Sea) since the beginning
of the century. They also form important whale migratory routes (Whale
& Dolphin Conservation Society, 2003).
Basking shark sightings
2006
A ‘channel’ of basking shark sighting has been identified
up the Irish Sea between the South West (principally Cornwall, Devon
and Dorset), up to the Isle of Man and into Scottish waters. ‘Hot
spots’
in the South West include the area around Lands End, the Lizard peninsula
and the waters off Plymouth. Sightings are generally high during May
in the South West and move progressively north throughout the year.
Nationally, 2006 was a significant year for basking shark sightings.
The Marine Conservation Society received 2,222 reports of basking shark
sightings, representing a 70% increase over the previous record year
when there was 1,301 reports. Report numbers have risen consistently
since 2003. This increase may indicate a rise in the number of basking
sharks present in UK waters, suggesting that populations could be starting
to reproduce and recover after ten years of protection in inshore waters.
However, there are a number of other possible explanations, including
good weather which may increase the number of people visiting the coastline
(Marine
Conservation Society, 2007)
The distribution of 2006 sightings indicates high densities of basking
sharks in the South West (particularly Cornwall and south Devon), accounting
for 888 or 41% of all reported sightings. Other hotspots include the
Isle of Man and the west coast of Scotland (particularly around the islands
of Coll, Tiree and Mull). This mirrors the trend in previous years.
Historically, sightings have peaked earliest in the South West (around
May and June), followed by the Isle of Man (June and July), and lastly
in Scotland (around August). However, recent years have shown some deviations,
particularly in the South West where peaks have been as late as August.
The Marine Conservation Society's Basking
Shark Annual Report 2005 details 17 years of public sightings.
Results indicate that there has been a marked shift in basking shark
sightings from South West waters to Scotland. Between 2001 and 2004,
there was a 65% increase in reported sightings in Scottish waters and
a concurrent 66% decrease in the South West. In 2005, 77% of all sightings
were from Scotland, approximately 20% higher than in 2004 (58%) and
a 69% rise from 1998. Comparable South West data reveals a 10% decrease
on 2004 and a 72% decline since 1998 (Marine Conservation Society,
2005).
These changes may be due to several factors. However, changing sea surface
temperatures are thought to be affecting the distribution of plankton,
which is encouraging basking sharks to move northwards.
% of basking shark sightings 1998 to 2005 in the South West and Scotland
(nb. 2005 data is currently incomplete)
 click
to enlarge
Source: Marine
Conservation Society (2005)
The Shark
Trust has a dedicated website to basking sharks. The
Basking Shark Project website has an enormous amount of information
on conservation, education and news. Use this site to record any sightings
of basking sharks.
Marine strandings
Every year, hundreds of whales, dolphins and porpoises are stranded
on UK shores, the majority of which are dead. Records are kept of all
reported strandings, including cause of death, which is vital to increasing
understanding of these species and how they can be conserved in the future.
Reporting strandings:
All marine strandings require urgent attention, whether dead or alive.
In the case of stranded cetaceans, seals or basking sharks, please call
the appropriate number immediately so that trained volunteers can attend
quickly to attempt a rescue of live casualties, or to fully record dead
ones before the tide removes them.
If you come across a whale, dolphin or porpoise and the animal is alive
you should phone the RSPCA immediately on (0870) 5555 999 and the British
Divers Marine Life Rescue (01825) 765546
For marine strandings of dead animals in Cornwall call the Strandings
Hotline on 0845 201 2626 or for strandings in Devon call the Devon Wildlife
Trust on (01392) 279244.
South West strandings
 Cetacean
Sightings and Strandings is a new report published by Marine
Connection (May, 2007). Examining 14 years of cetacean records
from the South West of England, this report summarises what needs to
be done to ensure a safe and healthy future for these animals off our
coast.
The report highlights the many species of whale, dolphin and porpoise
which are regularly observed off the coasts of Devon, Cornwall and the
Isles of Scilly. Some of the best places to see dolphins include Torbay,
Plymouth, Falmouth, Mount's Bay, Land's End, Cape Cornwall and the Isles
of Scilly, with the best time of year to see dolphins being between June
and August.
According to this report, overall, more cetacean sightings are reported
now than in 1990. However, rather than indicating an increase in numbers,
this may simply be because more people know how important it is to report
their sightings.
In addition to celebrating the dolphins which frequent the waters off
the South West, the report also has a much more alarming finding - a decline
in sightings for some species, in particular the bottlenose dolphin and
an increase in the number of dead dolphins washing up on our beaches.
Sightings of the charismatic bottlenose dolphin have decreased since 1990
and this has caused many scientists and researchers to believe that we
are witnessing a decline in the local population.
Sightings of bottlenose dolphins peaked at 335 in 1992 but by 2004 the
number had fallen to just 60. By May of this year, just 16 had been reported.
The number of strandings in the South West had risen from 58 in 1990 to
more than 100 every year since 1997. In 2006, there were 128 across Devon
and Cornwall.
Entanglement in fishing gear is the number one cause of death in stranded
cetaceans, particularly common dolphins and harbour porpoises. If we want
to reduce human impacts on dolphins and protect the region's dolphins
then we need to take urgent action.
Sighting and stranding data are making an important contribution to cetacean
conservation, but dedicated, specialist research is also critical. The
report recommends an increase in research in specific areas, as well as
more immediate measures to reduce dolphin deaths, such as better fisheries
management and the deployment of 'pingers' on bottom-set gill and tangle-nets.
Cornwall marine strandings
News highlighting a concern about the number of cetacean strandings
on Cornish beaches was published by the Cornwall
Wildlife Trust Marine Strandings Network on the 28th February 2008.
In the last two weeks of February 2008 saw Cornwall Wildlife Trusts
Marine Strandings Network volunteers attending ten strandings, nine of
which were common dolphins and one of which was a harbour porpoise. Volunteers
along the south coast were called out to these strandings spread
out between Downderry in the east to Penzance in the west. The Roseland
peninsular was also identified as a hotspot with three of the strandings
recorded in the area.
So why are these dolphins being found on our beach? Tom Hardy, Marine
Conservation Officer for the Cornwall Wildlife Trust explains: "The
majority of the strandings showed signs of bycatch in fishing gear. This
evidence of bycatch ranged from the very obvious marks such as amputation
of the tail or the stomach being slit open, to help the animal sink and
hide the evidence, to monofilament net marks across the body and the
beak of the animal."
"By recording stranded cetaceans over the last 12
years, we have worked tirelessly to show the link between certain fishing
methods and dead stranded cetaceans. In 2006 175 dead cetaceans were
recorded and although this figure was lower in 2007 (81), this recent
spate of strandings suggests the problem has not gone away."
Cornwall Wildlife Trust has been campaigning for protection of our dolphin
populations and is currently working on appropriating funding for a project
to introduce a pinger (an acoustic deterrent device) trial in inshore
waters. Pingers have been shown to alert porpoises to the presence of
a net and significantly reduce bycatch in certain fisheries. Cornwall
Sea Fisheries officers are very supportive of this trial of pingers on
smaller vessels operating in coastal waters.
Cornwall Wildlife Trust’s Marine Conservation Officer, Joana Doyle
and cetacean expert, Nick Tregenza recently met with Jonathan Shaw, Minister
for Marine, Landscape and Rural Affairs and Andrew George MP of West
Cornwall and Isles of Scilly to discuss the ongoing problem of dolphin
bycatch in fisheries around the Southwest. During this meeting the pinger
trial proposal was presented to Jonathan Shaw and CWT have since officially
approached DEFRA for funding to undertake this trial.
Please report all dolphin and marine animal strandings to Cornwall Wildlife
Trust Marine Strandings Network on 0845 201 2626.
 A
report on Marine
Strandings in Cornwall & the Isles of Scilly 2006 (Cornwall
Wildlife Trust Marine Strandings Network, 2007) details stranding records
on the shores of Cornwall that were collected by Cornwall Wildlife Trust
Marine Strandings Network volunteers.
The total number of dead cetaceans recorded was 175, which was
a 70% increase on 2005. There were also 67 grey seals
(Halichoerus grypus) recorded, a decrease of 13% on 2005.
Post-mortem examination continued to identify bycatch as the predominant
cause of death
among stranded cetaceans in the county. A high number of both common
dolphins (Delphinus delphis)
and harbour porpoises (Phocoena phocoena) showed signs of having been
bycaught in gill / entangling
net. Five harbour porpoises appeared to have been killed by bottlenose
dolphins (Tursiops truncatus).
Five leatherback turtles (Dermochelys coriacea) and one basking
shark (Cetorhinus maximus) were
also recorded, as were 183 birds. Organisms from a number of other groups
(crustaceans, molluscs,
etc.) were also logged. There were also mass strandings of by-the-wind
sailors (Velella velella) in
November and December after sustained gale force south-westerly winds.
A database of current and past year strandings in Cornwall is available
from the Cornwall
Wildlife Trust Marine Strandings Network.
Top 10 stranding areas in the UK
A report by the Natural
History Museum (2005) used stranding records between 1999 and 2004
to identify the cetacean stranding hotspots in the UK. Out of all sites
in England, Cornwall and Devon had the highest number of strandings:
England:
- Mounts Bay (Cornwall)
- Whitsand Bay and Looe (Cornwall)
- Gerran's Bay and Veryan Bay (Cornwall)
- Thurlestone (Devon)
Wales
- Barmouth area (Gwynedd)
- Tywyn area (Gwynedd)
- Aberdaron area (Gwynedd)
Scotland
- Outer Hebrides
- Firth of Forth
- Grampian / Aberdeen area
The Natural History Museum highlighted the variety of causes of
death, including:
- Entanglement in fishing nets, known as bycatch
(the accidental capture of cetaceans in fishing nets)
- Marine pollution – a wide range
of pollutants and waste discharged into the sea
- Infectious diseases – parasitic lung infection, pneumonia or
fungal infections
- Starvation
- Over-fishing – mackerel, herring, sprats and sand eels have
all declined in British waters, depriving cetaceans of food
- Disturbance and accidental collision with boats and propellers
- Noise pollution – anthropogenic noise,
including commercial dredging, potential effects of naval sonar, busy
shipping lanes.
Cause of death - bycatch
As scientist’s estimate that only 5 - 10% of those killed in fishing
nets ever get washed ashore, the real total could be between 2230 and
4460 during 2004 in Cornwall alone (UK
Government, 2004).
 Cetacean
Bycatch Analysis on the coast of Cornwall in January 2006 is a new
report from the Cornwall Wildlife Trust, analysising data collected during
one of the recognised peak months for fisheries-related cetacean strandings.
The Marine Strandings Network of the Cornwall Wildlife Trust holds a
comprehensive database of records of cetaceans that stranded on the coast
of Cornwall. Records date back to 1308.
The carcasses of 49 cetaceans that stranded on the coast of Cornwall
in January 2006 were recorded and examined for causes of mortality. Records,
photographs and necropsy results were then analysed to identify the cause
of death. At the end of March this number had risen to 114.
From the reports received to date, a strong pattern of bycatch was established,
including evidence of gill or tangle net injuries. In some cases, this
was confirmed by samples of mono-filament net found embedded in, or wrapped
around the carcass. No conclusive evidence of bycatch in trawl net was
found. Some of the remaining carcasses were in too poor a condition to
confirm the cause of mortality. In others, although the specific type
of fishery could not be identified, lesions consistent with having been
bycaught were noted.
The report provides evidence that gill and entangling net fisheries
operating around Cornwall have a bycatch of not only harbour porpoise
but also common dolphins, and are likely to pose a risk to bottlenose
dolphins. The report concludes that measures need to be put in place to
reduce the bycatch of cetaceans in the gill and entangling net fisheries
and recommendations are made for the way forward. Cornwall Wildlife Trust
urges Defra to ensure that the scope of the UK Strandings Project is not
restricted, and that at least the current level of research into strandings
is maintained.
Cleaner Seas, Healthier
Seas - state of the marine environment in England & Wales
 Cleaner
Coasts, Healthier Seas - the State of the Marine Environment in England
and Wales has just been published by the Environment Agency.
The report aims to provide a snapshot of the state of our coasts and
seas, such as recent improvements (including the reduction of discharges
of sewage, hazardous and radioactive materials) as well as remaining areas
of concern.
Getting better or getting worse?
- Pressure from development & use - present state mixed or uncertain,
outlook uncertain
- Climate change impacts - present state poor, outlook worsening
- Flooding & erosion - present state mixed or uncertain, outlook
uncertain
- Pollution - present state mixed or poor, outlook improving
- Fish - present state poor, outlook uncertain
- Wildlife - present state mixed or uncertain, outlook uncertain.
The report highlights that there are still significant problems with
our marine environment, including:
- Climate change is altering marine habitats
- Coastal erosion, flood risk, and habitat loss are all increasing
- Stocks of marine and migratory fish are low, and modern fishing methods
may damage seabed habitats
Marine healthcheck 2005 -
key South West highlights
 Marine
Health Check 2005 is an independantly written report published by
the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) highlighting the many demands on the UK's
seas and the impact that they have on the marine species and habitats
studied.
This report highlights the many demands in the seas such as coastal development,
fishing, aquaculture, oil and gas exploitation and the toll they take
on the marine species and habitats studied.
Five years ago WWF's first Marine Health Check (Marine
Health Check 2000) warned of the potential threats to marine wildlife,
such as sand and gravel extraction of pristine areas of the seabed. This
new report shows that these threats have now manifested themselves, adding
to longer-term threats such as pollution and invasion by non-native species.
This report highlights the South West's marine environment as being of
particular importance for it's species and habitats. Highlights include:
Harbour porpoises:
- Between August 2003 and July 2004, there were 80 sightings and 109
strandings of harbourp porpoises in Cornwall.
- Between January and June 2004, 124 dead cetaceans were recorded on
the Cornish coast alone– most apparently the victims of bycatch.
Long snouted (maned) sea horse
In the UK, the long-snouted sea horse has been recorded from the easternmost
point of Kent, along the south coast to Land’s End, up the west
coast of England, Wales and Scotland as far as the Shetland Isles and
all around Ireland. There is no published data regarding population trends
or total numbers of adults for the long-snouted seahorse. There is also
little information regarding its distribution, ecology or biology.
- A short-snouted seahorse was found by divers in Plymouth Sound in
July. Then, a month later, a pregnant male long-snouted seahorse was
photographed for the first time off the south-west coast of Britain
near the Isle of Purbeck in Dorset. This confirms that the species is
breeding in our waters.
- Seahorses may be more abundant in British waters than thought. In
August 1999, a seagull regurgitated about 10 small seahorses onto a
boat moored near Brixham in south Devon. It is assumed that the seahorses
were caught locally.
- The long-snouted sea horse is included in a UK
Biodiversity Habitats Action Plan for Eelgrass beds.
Visit the Marine
Conservation Society's website for more information and images of
the long-snouted sea horse.
Basking shark
The basking shark is the largest fish in British waters and the second
largest in the world. Its late age of maturity, low reproductive rates
and potential low population growth makes it particularly vulnerable to
fishing, both accidental (bycatch, for example) and deliberate. Although
some monitoring of basking shark populations is being carried out, information
to date does not enable reliable population trends to be determined.
- “Hotspots” for basking shark sightings in the English
Channel include the waters around Land’s End, the Lizard peninsula
and off Plymouth. Sharks are also seen off north Cornwall and at Lundy.
- The Basking Shark Survey Project conducts line transect surveys from
Devon and Cornwall through the Irish Sea to the Firth of Clyde and the
Hebrides. In 2002, a total of just 29 sharks were seen, 23 of which
were in the South West. In 2003 108 were sighted - 52 of which were
in the South West and 56 in Scotland. 2004 has been a very poor year
in the South West, with only 14 sharks sighted (106 in Scotland). Such
year-to-year differences aren't unknown, and there may be cycles of
5-15 years.
- 'Favoured site' status could be given for several small sites, such
as the Lizard and Lands End and locations in western Scotland.
- The basking shark is a priority species under the UK
Biodiversity Action Plan.
See the ARKive
Website for more information and images of the basking shark.
Fan Mussel
Fan mussels are fragile molluscs that live embedded in sediment from
where they pump water to feed on plankton. Records of decline in populations
of fan mussels are documented in the UK Biodiversity Action Plan, but
due to the sparse nature of populations, quantitative comparisons of population
numbers do not exist.
- Fan mussels have been recorded in south-west England, western Ireland
and western and northern Scotland.
- Fan mussels have never been abundant in the UK, but now they are
extremely rarely seen and, when found, it is often as a bycatch of scallop
dredging. However, an exception occurred in late 2003 when a recreational
diver reported several in Plymouth Sound – which is now known
to hold a significant population. Fortunately, the use of mobile fishing
gear is prohibited in the Sound.
- The fan mussel has a Species Action Plan listed in the UK
Biodiversity Action Plan.
See the ARKive
website for more information and images of the fan mussel.
Pink Sea Fan
Sea fans are a type of horny coral that grow as branching flat fans oriented
at right angles to the prevailing current. They live in water usually
over 15 metres in depth.
- The pink sea fan thrives only in the south-west.
- In 2001, the sea fans at Lundy, England’s only Marine Nature
Reserve, suffered a mystery disease that devastated the population there.
Furthermore, a species of warm-water barnacle, until recently unknown
in Britain, now infests a portion of the population of pink sea fans.
The loss of and damage to sea fans around Lundy occurred in 2001 and
was believed to be a localised decline.
- The highest density of sea fans in the UK occurs off Plymouth and
parts of the Lizard. Here, there can be up to 20 fans on a square metre
of seabed. In the Plymouth region, such high densities suggest a population
in excess of two million.
- Since divers started to observe sea fans more than 30 years ago,
numbers have probably been stable.
- The pink sea fan is included in the UK
Biodiversity Action Plan.
See the ARKive
website for more information and images of the pink sea fan.
Maerl beds
Maerl beds occur in south-west England, western and northern Scotland
and Northern Ireland. Maerl is a free-living calcified seaweed forming
nodules up to about 40mm across that grow at about 1mm a year
- Maerl beds occur in south-west, western and northern Scotland and
Northern Ireland.
- St Mawes Bank near Falmouth has the most extensive bed of maerl in
England and Wales but is subject to increasing threats from extraction
of dead maerl nearby and from scallop dredging. In the winter of 2002/03,
six local scallop dredgers “worked” the area adjacent to
the maerl bed – a practice that was stopped for a year until September
2004 by Ministerial Order to allow time for consultation.
There is a UK Biodiversity
Habitats Action Plan for maerl beds.
Leatherback turtle
2003 was a record year for sightings around Britain and Ireland, however
numbers vary greatly from year to year and long-term trend data is needed
to see if overall increases or decreases are occurring. Worldwide, leatherback
turtle numbers continue to decline, in some parts numbers have fallen
by 95% over 20 years. The extinction of Pacific leatherbacks may occur
within the next 10 years.
- Leatherback turtles visit UK seas probably due to migration to and
from the nesting beaches if the eastern mainland coast and Caribbean
islands. They have been sighted off the South West coast and the first
live sighting of 2004 was in February, off the south coast of Cornwall.
- Over the last 100 years, there have been some 500 records of marine
turtles from UK waters, particularly along the western coast.
- The leatherback
turtles has a UK Biodiversity Species Action Plan (under marine
turtles)
See the ARKive
website for more information and images of leatherback turtles.
Lundy No Take Zone
No Take Zones are an area in the sea from which nothing can be taken
and where fishing is prohibited so that life can recover. In 2003 the
first No Take Zone in our waters was set up around Lundy Island off the
North Coast of Devon.
The Lundy No Take Zone (NTZ), an area on the eastern side of Lundy Marine
Nature Reserve, off the north coast of Devon, was set up in 2003 to enhance
conservation of marine habitats and species. It covers 3.3km squared on
the east side of the island. No living natural resources, including lobsters,
crab and fish can be taken from the area. The marine life around Lundy
is internationally important and supports many rare species as well as
being a valuable asset for local fishermen.
So far the results have been extremely positive, including a threefold
increase in the numbers of landable lobsters has been found within No
Take Zone. As well as their abundance, the lobsters tracked were also
found to be bigger than usual. It is the first time this striking difference
in the lobster stocks compared to the control sites outside, has been
observed - and that is just over a one year period. (Defra,
2004). However, the full effects of the zone will not be known for
another four years.
Lundy webcam
English Nature, with the co-operation of the Landmark Trust who manage
Lundy Island, have installed a Lundy
webcam. The webcam is on the south-east corner of Lundy within the
Marine Nature Reserve. The water at this point is about eight metres deep,
dependent upon the tide, and the camera is situated on the edge of a kelp
forest in an area visited by ballan wrasse and two-spot gobies, compass
jellyfish and grey seals.
Shoreline
Management Plans
The Government has encouraged the formation of voluntary
coastal defence groups made up primarily of maritime district authorities
and other bodies with coastal defence responsibilities. The groups provide
a forum for discussion and co-operation. They also play an important role
in the development of Shoreline Management Plans (SMPs) for their area.
An SMP provides a large-scale assessment of the risks associated with
coastal processes and presents a long term policy framework to reduce
these risks to people and the developed, historic and natural environment
in a sustainable manner. In doing so, an SMP is a high level document
that forms an important element of the strategy for flood and coastal
defence.
First generation SMPs have been completed around the coastline of England
and Wales. Many operating authorities have adopted the recommendations
of their Plan as a basis for production of individual strategic plans,
monitoring programmes and studies for all or parts of their coastline
and, where proven by strategic plans, the implementation of appropriate
schemes. Future generations of SMPs should build on the first generation
Plans, taking account of information subsequently collected or changing
circumstances. Defra's futurecoast
study is relevant to the update of plans as it helps determine a vision
for the longer term shoreline needs.
The coastal defence groups have provided an
indicative timetable for the review of SMP2s. To meet their High Level
Targets, all SMP2s should be completed by March 2010. |
