Marine Life & Conservation
Acid, alien and hot! Beach visitors to put seaweeds under the spotlight
Beach visitors are being asked to turn scientist this summer to help understand a bit more about the seaside’s unsung hero – seaweed!
The Marine Conservation Society (MCS) has teamed up with the Natural History Museum on a project to get people out on our shores to help study seaweeds. With their 3D structure and multi-coloured forms, seaweeds create shelter and food for an immense diversity of other marine organisms and also support commercial fisheries. But most people don’t give them a second look, and even consider them a slippery nuisance we could do without!
The Big Seaweed Search, a new citizen science project, will help to map out the distribution of seaweeds around Britain. Seaweed distribution and abundance around our coasts is changing. To investigate why this might be and what’s out there, the Big Seaweed Search will try and establish just what is affecting seaweeds on British coasts.
Miranda Krestovnikoff, TV presenter and diver says: “This is a great way to find out more about our beautiful UK seaweeds, and to help researchers track how they are faring in changing environmental conditions. And anyone can join in. At last, seaweeds will get the attention they deserve!”
The seashores and shallow seas around Britain support over 650 species of seaweed, making them globally significant and an important component of British biodiversity. The study will focus on 14 species, to increase our knowledge of how sea temperature increase, sea level rise, impacts of non-native species and increasing acidity are affecting the distribution of different species of seaweed.
“It’s easy to take them for granted, but seaweeds are fascinating, provide shelter and food for an immense variety of marine wildlife, and are of enormous use to humanity”, says Professor Juliet Brodie, of the Natural History Museum. “People are unaware that our daily lives are affected by seaweeds in many ways, from foods and medicines to buffering the effects of rough seas on our vulnerable coastlines”.
In the Big Seaweed Search, eight species of conspicuous wracks (part of the common names of several species of seaweed) have been selected for the public to record. Many of these will probably be familiar, such as bladder wrack, Fucus vesiculosus, with its bladders resembling bubble-wrap that pop underfoot, and knotted wrack, Ascophyllum nodosum, which produces a single egg-like bladder once a year and can live for an estimated 50-60 years.
The study also hopes to unearth more about non-natives and their impact on British coasts. “One of the most well-known ‘aliens’ listed in the study is wireweed, Sargassum muticum, a brown seaweed that was first recorded on the south coast of England in 1973 and has spread very rapidly since then. Another conspicuous non-native seaweed and a favoured food in Japan, Wakame, Undaria pinnatifida, was first recorded in Britain in 1994 on pontoons but is now starting to colonise rocky shores. These ‘aliens’ are here to stay so we need to learn to live with them,” says Juliet.
Justine Millard, MCS Head of Education and Outreach, says the study will establish whether any of these seaweeds are changing in their range, or becoming more or less widespread. “Anyone can be a citizen scientist. We’ll provide simple instructions and an identification guide so that everyone can make a valuable contribution to our knowledge of this important and underappreciated group.”
To take part, register at www.nhm.ac.uk/seaweeds.
Photo: Frogfish Photography
Marine Life & Conservation
Double Bubble for Basking Sharks
The Shark Trust is excited to announce that, for two more days only, all donations, large or small, will be doubled in the Big Give Green Match Fund!
Donate to Basking in Nature: Sighting Giants
The Shark Trust is hoping to raise £10k which will be doubled to £20k. This will go towards Basking in Nature: Sighting Giants. And they need YOUR help to reach they’re goal.
The Shark Trust’s citizen science project is to monitor and assess basking sharks through sightings; encouraging data collection, community engagement, and promoting nature accessibility. This initiative aims to enhance health and wellbeing by fostering a deeper connection with British Sharks.
Campaign Aims
- Increase citizen science reporting of Basking Sharks and other shark sightings to help inform shark and ray conservation.
- Provide educational talks about the diverse range of sharks and rays in British waters and accessible identification guides!
- Create engaging and fun information panels on how to ID the amazing sharks and rays we have on our doorstep! These can be used on coastal paths around the Southwest. With activities and information on how you can make a difference for sharks and rays!
- Promote mental wellbeing through increasing time in nature and discovering the wonders beneath the waves!
Donate, and double your impact. Click Here
Marine Life & Conservation
Leading UK-based shark conservation charity, the Shark Trust, is delighted to announce tour operator Diverse Travel as a Corporate Patron
Corporate Patrons provide a valuable boost to the work of The Shark Trust. The Trust team works globally to safeguard the future of sharks, and their close cousins, the skates and rays, engaging with a global network of scientists, policymakers, conservation professionals, businesses and supporters to further shark conservation.
Specialist tour operator Diverse Travel has operated since 2014 and is committed to offering its guests high quality, sustainable scuba diving holidays worldwide. Working together with the Shark Trust will enable both organisations to widen engagement and encourage divers and snorkellers to actively get involved in shark conservation.
“Sharks are truly at the heart of every diver and at Diverse Travel, we absolutely share that passion. There is nothing like seeing a shark in the wild – it’s a moment that stays with you forever!” says Holly Bredin, Sales & Marketing Manager, Diverse Travel.
“We’re delighted to celebrate our 10th year of business by becoming a Corporate Patron of the Shark Trust. This is an exciting partnership for Diverse and our guests. We will be donating on behalf of every person who books a holiday with us to contribute towards their vital shark conservation initiatives around the world. We will also be working together with the Trust to inspire divers, snorkellers and other travellers to take an active role – at home and abroad – in citizen science projects and other activities.”
Paul Cox, CEO of The Shark Trust, said:
“It’s an exciting partnership and we’re thrilled to be working with Diverse Travel to enable more divers and travellers to get involved with sharks and shark conservation. Sharks face considerable conservation challenges but, through collaboration and collective action, we can secure a brighter future for sharks and their ocean home. This new partnership takes us one more valuable step towards that goal.”
For more information about the Shark Trust visit their website here.
For more about Diverse Travel click here.
-
News3 months ago
Hone your underwater photography skills with Alphamarine Photography at Red Sea Diving Safari in March
-
News3 months ago
Capturing Critters in Lembeh Underwater Photography Workshop 2024: Event Roundup
-
Marine Life & Conservation Blogs3 months ago
Creature Feature: Swell Sharks
-
Blogs2 months ago
Murex Resorts: Passport to Paradise!
-
Blogs2 months ago
Diver Discovering Whale Skeletons Beneath Ice Judged World’s Best Underwater Photograph
-
Marine Life & Conservation2 months ago
Save the Manatee Club launches brand new webcams at Silver Springs State Park, Florida
-
Gear Reviews3 months ago
Gear Review: Oceanic+ Dive Housing for iPhone
-
Gear Reviews2 weeks ago
GEAR REVIEW – Revolutionising Diving Comfort: The Sharkskin T2 Chillproof Suit