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Marine Life & Conservation

My Summer as National Whale and Dolphin Watch Assistant for Sea Watch Foundation

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Last summer I was lucky enough to spend my time studying dolphins and helping to organise a UK wide event surveying dolphins. Within this fantastic role as National Whale and Dolphin Watch (NWDW) Assistant, I got to talk to hundreds of different people from around the country and all different walks of life, as well as spending my days watching dolphins from my office window!

I applied to volunteer with the Sea Watch Foundation during the end of 2016, desperate to use my passion for cetaceans (dolphins, whales, and porpoises) in the UK. New Quay was perfect, a lovely view of dolphins in their natural habitat from my desk and hardly a minutes’ walk to the pier where dolphins could be seen nearly daily. Sea Watch’s Sightings Officer took a huge chance on me, as the youngest person all season, and one of the only undergraduates, I’m glad I didn’t disappoint! Having the chance to work with different people from all walks of life was amazing! I was surrounded by talking cheat codes on how to thrive in marine conservation.

My summer with Sea Watch allowed me learn so many new skills and get some great experience in event management and being organised! As well as getting to spend countless hours assisting with vital research on one of only two resident pods of Bottlenose Dolphins in the UK.

I made contacts all around the country and learn such amazing things, from the first minke sighting of the season in Yorkshire, to how often pods of 50+ bottlenose dolphins are spotted in the Channel Islands. I gained such an appreciation for the vast variety and abundance of cetaceans (whales, dolphins and porpoises) around the UK, helped from the wonderful regional coordinators that Sea Watch have, as well as the different students and interns that join the team in New Quay each summer.

The first half of my time with Sea Watch was a lot of admin, currently I have sent over 3000 emails in the six months I’ve been here, posted over 200 watch packs, and publicised countless events. It’s not all emails and paperwork though! I got to channel my artistic side with posters and leaflets, even helping decorate statues for our local events!

Apart from my NWDW jobs, I also got to take part in training courses, surveys, and public engagement! It’s lucky I love talking, though I’m sure people wish I talked less about dolphins. Now that our season in New Quay is over, I’m sure the locals definitely appreciate me not walking into their stores with a different event to advertise every couple of weeks!

National Whale and Dolphin Watch is an enormous time for Sea Watch, it’s an extra push during the summer to involve and educate more people. With events taking place all around the country, and fun games and activities every day in New Quay, it’s the most tiring and fun week I’ve ever have! Even if it rains most days like it did this year!

After NWDW finishes, you’ll be chasing people for their effort forms, apologising for the typical British weather, and beginning the almost endless job of data entry. Data entry might sound dull, but it’s fantastic, you get to learn what everyone saw, as well as the odd amusing comments, like a daring jellyfish rescue! Plus if you’re like me, you’ll love seeing how many hours were completed compared to others, as well as watching your species count go up and up…

After NWDW, I spent a lot of my time completing data entry, getting exciting as our species count went up and up, finishing with 11 different species during our 2017 NWDW. To find out more about last years’ results the report is here.

Working with the Sea Watch Foundation gave me a new found appreciation for the importance of education and awareness, especially within the UK, as people seem blinded to the fact we do get lots of different cetacean species! My summer in New Quay was, exhausting, rewarding, inspiring and utterly unforgettable! But don’t just take my word for it, why not apply and see for yourself..!

For more information about the Sea Watch Foundation please visit their website by clicking here.

Photo credits: Sea Watch Foundation

Lauren Fidler is a Marine Biology and Oceanography student at Plymouth university, hoping to specialise in marine conservation. She is also a keen diver and photographer.

Marine Life & Conservation

New report shows simple measures needed to cut beach plastic pollution

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The Marine Conservation Society has launched its annual State of our Beaches 2023 report, highlighting the need for less single-use plastic items and more refillable options.

The charity’s beach cleaning programme, now in its 30th year, asks volunteers to record all litter that they find within a 100-metre stretch of beach. By gathering vital data from across the UK and Channel Islands, the charity creates change for cleaner seas and a healthier planet through policy and industry change. Last year, over 148 kilometres of beach were surveyed by volunteers, who removed 17,208kgs of litter from our coast.

Using data collected by over 14,000 volunteers, the State of our Beaches 2023 report shows that half of all litter collected came from public sources – either dumped, blown or washed onto our beaches.

Drinks-related litter, such as plastic bottles, caps and cans were one of the most found items, with an average of 16 found per 100 metres of beach surveyed. This figure is up 14% compared to the charity’s 2022 report.

Plastics caps and lids were recorded on 89% of surveys, with over 30,000 found in total. Plastic bottles were also commonly collected, with 73% of surveys finding this single-use item – a 4% increase compared to 2022. The charity’s inland litter pick survey, Source to Sea, also reported finding plastic bottles on 92% of cleans.

However, the charity’s State of Our Beaches 2023 report also indicates that some types of litter are on a downward trend. Although still in the top 10 litter items, disposable plastic cutlery, trays and straws were found on 5% fewer beaches across the UK, showing that bans on these plastic items between 2022 – 2023 could be working. The presence of plastic cotton bud sticks also dropped by 14%.

Lizzie Price, Beachwatch Manager at the Marine Conservation Society, said, “Half of the litter found on our beaches originates from public sources, underscoring the pressing issue of single-use plastic. Evidence shows that refillable alternatives and litter return schemes effectively reduce rubbish, as demonstrated by the decline our data has shown in items like plastic bags and disposable cutlery.

“Urgent and decisive action from UK governments is needed to accelerate our shift towards a circular economy, where we reuse, repair and recycle. The public needs greater access to refillable products and systems need to be implemented in which manufacturers are responsible for their waste.”

Governments across the UK have committed to delivering deposit return schemes from October 2025. However, the proposed scheme in England does not include glass items, despite glass being found on 52% of beaches in 2023. The charity is calling for governments across the UK to introduce compatible all inclusive deposit return schemes as soon as possible. This would see aluminium cans, and plastic and glass bottles have a 20p deposit which would be returned when recycled which would reduce drinks-related pollution.

Businesses are, however, starting to take refillable and reusable options into their own hands. Supermarket chain, Aldi, the largest corporate funder of the charity’s 2024 Beachwatch programme, is already leading the charge in refillable items by trialling refillable options for cereals and porridge oats in their stores over the past 5 months.

Plastics and Packaging Director, Luke Emery, from Aldi, who are running 4 beach cleans for staff and volunteers in 2024, said, We are continually working to reduce single-use plastics and packaging, and making unpackaged product options more commonplace for our customers is a key part of this. We are really pleased with the uptake of our refillable range so far by customers. Not only are we making sustainable shopping more accessible, but we also offer refill products for a better price than the packaged alternative, helping our customers save money.”

Marine litter is one of the biggest threats to our seas, with plastic breaking down over time into microplastics and threatening marine life which can ingest or become entangled in them. The Marine Conservation Society is urging the UK Government to move faster on its policies to cut down plastic waste and prevent items from reaching our seas.

To find out more about the charity’s beach cleans and how to get involved, please visit mcsuk.org/beach-cleans

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Guarding Against Coral Invaders

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Protecting (Dutch) Caribbean Reefs from Unomia stolonifera

Recent reports highlight the concerning spread of the invasive soft coral, Unomia stolonifera, currently devastating Venezuela’s marine ecosystems and detected in Cuba. With the potential threat of its expansion to the (Dutch) Caribbean islands, urgent action and awareness are essential to safeguard marine biodiversity and local economies from possible catastrophic consequences.

Invasive species are animals or plants from another region of the world that don’t belong in their new environment. These species can have major ecological effects by decimating native flora or fauna. They can also cause large economic losses and impact human health. Invasive species also pose a significant threat to marine ecosystems worldwide, including the Dutch Caribbean. Among these invaders is the octocoral species Unomia stolonifera or “Pulsing Xenia”, originally from the Indo-Pacific. With its rapid growth and lack of natural predators, this species can outcompete native species and disrupt fragile marine habitats such as seagrass beds and coral reefs.

Background

The invasive soft coral U. stolonifera was first identified in 2014, off the coast of Venezuela. It is believed to have been introduced via the illegal aquarium trade.  Since this species can reproduce sexually and asexually (or fragment), even small pieces can regenerate to spread.  Once introduced it quickly took over shallow reefs and hard substrate at depths of 0-50 meters, outcompeting local corals and seagrass for space.  Follow on surveys found that this coral species exhibited average percentage cover as high as 80%, vastly outcompeting native corals. In highly colonized areas, fish are disappearing due to loss of habitats.

In 2022, during a survey conducted in Cuba by the University of Havana, an unknown octocoral was discovered which was later identified as the invasive Unomia stolonifera. It is suspected that the coral larvae arrived in ballast water from fossil fuel ships originating from Venezuela, as nearby sites adjacent to Venezuelan ports have been heavily affected by the invasion.

How to help

Prevention through continuous monitoring, particularly in high-risk areas such as marine harbors and oil facilities, is paramount. Early detection plays a pivotal role in mitigating the threat posed by Unomia stolonifera.

The public’s involvement and awareness are also vital. Local communities, recreational divers, tourists, and all stakeholders are urged to participate in early detection efforts by reporting sightings (photo, location and date) of this invasive coral to their respective Protected Area Management Organization (PMO’s)- the Fundacion Parke Nacional Aruba (FPNA)STINAPA BonaireCARMABI Curaçao Saba Conservation Foundation (SCF)Nature Foundation St. Maarten (NFSXM) and St. Eustatius National Parks (STENAPA). If an invaded area is confirmed, follow the recommendations by the local PMO’s.

Keys to Success

Despite the challenges, early detection is key to mitigating the threat posed by Unomia stolonifera. With continued vigilance, research, and community engagement, there is hope for containing this potential issue before it becomes a major threat.

About the DCNA

The Dutch Caribbean Nature Alliance (DCNA) supports (science) communication and outreach in the Dutch Caribbean region by making nature related (scientific) information more widely available through amongst others the Dutch Caribbean Biodiversity Database, DCNA’s news platform BioNews and through the press. This article contains the results from several scientific studies but the studies themselves are not DCNA studies. No rights can be derived from the content. DCNA is not liable for the content and the in(direct) impacts resulting from publishing this article.

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