News
Cornwall’s Marine Life is Amazing
Sometimes we can become a bit blasé when it comes to appreciating the wealth of wildlife around our coast. How often do we stand gazing out to sea with our thoughts elsewhere and not really on looking for signs of wildlife? Or in a boat heading out for a dive with our noses buried in our gear and talking with our buddy about the price of the car park? It’s only when we raise our heads above the gunnels and keep watch that we will see things that are truly wonderful. Dolphins passing, Basking Sharks working the tide lines, Gannets plunging into the sea around us like streamlined missiles. How many have noticed Peregrines patrolling the cliff edges while heading along the coast for a dive, or the secretive Fox staring at us from the cover of cliff top bushes? Perhaps we just don’t look hard enough.
I recently met Captain Keith who runs AKWildlife Cruises out of Falmouth in Cornwall. He invited me out on a short trip where he and his crew Sophie were set to guide a small group of snorkellers along part of the northern cliffs from Falmouth bay. In his ‘welcome on board’ speech he talked excitedly about all the animals we had a chance of seeing. There was no shortage of them. Seals – Grey and Common, Dolphins – Bottlenose and Risso’s, Sunfish, Porpoise, Basking Sharks and all manner of bird species. Gannets, Guillemots, Puffins, Cormorants, Shags, Gulls, Razorbills, Peregrines and more.
The enthusiasm in which Captain Keith described all the possible sightings we were about to have got us all hooked. He also talked about the whales and sharks but not for this trip as we were staying too far in-shore. On other days he has had encounters with Fin, Minke Whales and Blue sharks and occasionally comes across super pods of over a 1,000 Common dolphins.
At this point I have to confess to being just a little sceptical as over the years I have met many wildlife guides who talked the talk but quite often failed to walk the walk. Nevertheless, I found Captain Keith’s enthusiasm catching and it was with great hope and excitement we left the dock.
Two minutes after we had cast off, Captain Keith started to talk to us over his microphone and speaker from the ‘flying bridge’. He told us how Porpoise and Seals are often seen far inside the estuary and we should keep our eyes on the look out at all times. It was not long before we came across a couple of Grey Seals hauled-out on some rocks. The seals weren’t bothered by the boat and allowed us to get close. Captain Keith gave great information on the animals before continuing out into open sea and along the coast.
We dropped the six snorkellers in under the cliffs with Sophie and drifted nearby to keep an eye on them. While we waited a Peregrine cruised just inside us, back and forth along the cliff face. What a spectacular bird. Captain Keith told me it was the female of a pair that nested nearby and then described in great detail their life history. Meanwhile Seals continually bobbed up around the snorkelers just out of sight from them. That’s just what Seals do. Occasionally they do get curious and bold and come to visit underwater; that’s when we have those unforgettable interactions.
During the 4 hour trip we visited the Guillemot and Razorbill colony on a small offshore island. We had a brief visit from a small pod of Risso’s Dolphins, watched giant Barrel Jellyfish cruise by just below the surface and counted numerous species of sea birds flying to some secret destination. It was a wonderful day and throughout it all Captain Keith kept us enthralled with his enthusiasm and knowledge of the wildlife we saw.
At the end of the trip as I thanked Captain Keith for a great day, he invited me out the following week for a longer trip, way offshore, to look for Minke Whales, Dolpins and Blue Sharks. I said yes without any hesitation. To my surprise Captain Keith said his best encounters with Minkes and the occasional Fin Whale is over the winter months. Very exciting!
For more information about Captain Keith’s wildlife trips, visit www.akwildlifecruises.co.uk.
The Ocean Cleanup, the global non-profit project, has removed a verified all-time total of ten million kilograms (22 million lbs.) of trash from oceans and rivers around the world – approximately the same weight as the Eiffel Tower.
To complete its mission of ridding the oceans of plastic, The Ocean Cleanup uses a dual strategy: cleaning up the Great Pacific Garbage Patch (GPGP) to remove the plastic already afloat in the oceans, while stopping the flow of plastic from the world’s most polluting rivers.
Through cleaning operations in the GPGP and in rivers in eight countries, the cumulative total of trash removed has now surpassed ten million kilograms. This milestone demonstrates the acceleration of The Ocean Cleanup’s impact, while underlining the astonishing scale of the plastic pollution problem and the need for continued support and action.
While encouraging for the mission, this milestone is only a staging point: millions more tons of plastic still pollute our oceans and The Ocean Cleanup intends to continue learning, improving and innovating to solve this global catastrophe.
This announcement comes as governments from around the world meet to continue negotiations to develop a new legally binding instrument to end plastic pollution at INC4 in Ottawa, Canada. Representatives of The Ocean Cleanup will be in attendance and the organization will be urging decision-makers to collaborate towards a comprehensive and ambitious global treaty which addresses plastic at all stages of its life cycle and in all marine environments worldwide, including in areas beyond national jurisdiction.
It is encouraging to see that the need for remediation is reflected in the various options for potential treaty provisions. It is essential that the final treaty contains clear targets for the remediation of legacy plastic pollution, and reduction of riverine plastic emissions.
Tackling plastic pollution requires innovative and impactful solutions. The treaty should therefore incentivize the innovation ecosystem by fostering innovations that make maximal use of data, technology and scientific knowledge – such as those designed and deployed by The Ocean Cleanup.
‘After many tough years of trial and error, it’s amazing to see our work is starting to pay off – and I am proud of the team who has brought us to this point.’ said Boyan Slat, Founder and CEO of The Ocean Cleanup. ‘While we still have a long way to go, our recent successes fill us with renewed confidence that the oceans can be cleaned.’
The Ocean Cleanup was founded in 2013 and captured its first plastic in 2019, with the first confirmed catch in the GPGP coming soon after the deployment of Interceptor 001 in Jakarta, Indonesia. After surpassing one million kilograms of trash removed in early 2022, the non-profit project has since progressed to the third iteration of its GPGP cleaning solution, known as System 03, and a network of Interceptors currently covering rivers in eight countries, with more deployments set for 2024.
About The Ocean Cleanup
The Ocean Cleanup is an international non-profit organization that develops and scales technologies to rid the world’s oceans of plastic. They aim to achieve this goal through a dual strategy: stemming the inflow via rivers and cleaning up the legacy plastic that has already accumulated in the ocean. For the latter, The Ocean Cleanup develops large-scale systems to efficiently concentrate the plastic for periodic removal. This plastic is tracked and traced through DNV’s chain of custody model to certify claims of origin when recycling it into new products. To curb the tide via rivers, The Ocean Cleanup has developed Interceptor™ solutions to halt and extract riverine plastic before it reaches the ocean. Founded in 2013 by Boyan Slat, The Ocean Cleanup now employs a broadly multi-disciplined team of approximately 140. The foundation is headquartered in Rotterdam, the Netherlands.
For more information, visit: theoceancleanup.com and follow @theoceancleanup on social media.
Marine Life & Conservation
Steve Backshall to headline Shark Trust’s flagship event: For the Love of Sharks
Join a host of amazing, shark loving, speakers including Steve Backshall and the Shark Trust team for an evening celebrating shark conservation at the Royal Geographical Society in London this November.
Date: 29th November 2024
Time: 6-10pm
Location: Royal Geographical Society, London
Tickets: https://www.sharktrust.org/Event/flos24
The event will be a celebration of all things shark. Those lucky enough to get hold of tickets will hear from engaging guest speakers with a passion for sharks.
The line-up includes (*subject to change if unforeseen circumstances arise)
Steve Backshall: One of television’s busiest presenters, BAFTA award-winning wildlife expert Steve has been passionate about the wild world ever since he was young.
Steve’s impressive TV career has taken him all around the world, investigating a wide array of species and environments. Steve has filmed over 100 hours of children’s wildlife programmes with the BAFTA award winning Deadly 60 franchise and recently, with Sky Nature, for his new series ‘Whale with Steve Backshall’. He has been a patron for the Shark Trust for 10 years.
Simon Rogerson: is a photojournalist specialising in natural history, diving and the sea.
He is editor of SCUBA magazine, the official journal of the British Sub-Aqua Club. Simon started his career as a crime reporter but gravitated towards his ‘less depressing’ interest in underwater exploration, joining the staff of DIVE magazine in 1999. In 2005 he was named ‘Editor of the Year’ in the PPA’s Independent Publishing Awards. Simon also works as a freelance writer, contributing frequently to the Sunday Times and Telegraph, in addition to BBC Wildlife, Esquire, and a host of international diving magazines. He is the author of a book, Dive Red Sea, published by Ultimate Sports. Now based in Berkshire, Simon has been a Patron of the Shark Trust for 20 years.
More speakers to be announced soon. Head to the Shark Trust website to learn more.
The evening will also allow guests the final chance to see the Oceanic 31, shark art exhibition. Some of the artwork will be auctioned/raffled at the event, while the rest will be auctioned online to raise money for the Shark Trust Oceanic Programme.
For the Love of Sharks is an evening with something for everyone who is interested and fascinated by sharks. Join the Shark Trust, their Patrons, Trustees and Staff, along with a host of supporters for this celebration of shark conservation.
For more information or to buy a ticket: https://www.sharktrust.org/Event/flos24
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