News
Diving with a purpose – BSAC’s Operation Oyster 2022 report just released
Native oyster shells 35 metres underwater and the discovery of rare spiny seahorse are just some of the unexpected finds highlighted in the newly released Operation Oyster 2022 report.
Launched back in 2021, Operation Oyster is BSAC’s key citizen science project created to enable divers to play a key role in oyster bed restoration around our coastline.
The project’s ‘mission’ is to search for and document evidence of the UK’s native oyster population, which has seen a 95% drop in population numbers over the past 150 years due to overfishing, disease, pollution and habitat loss.
With its first full year now completed, the 2022 Operation Oyster report has highlighted the progress that has been made in establishing the extent of the native oyster’s decline.
The BSAC project is currently working with the BLUE Marine Foundation, Scottish marine charity Seawilding, the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) and the University of Portsmouth. Data collected via the project is also being made accessible to the scientific community.
Operation Oyster coordinator, Andy Hunt, said the 2022 report has also shown the work that still needs to be done:
“We have dived the breadth of the UK in 2022 and found evidence of native flat oysters where we weren’t expecting them. However, the project has not yet found any live native oyster reefs or substantial beds,” Andy explained.
“There is hope though. Live native oysters are holding on in places, but just not in the quantity they used to be. A key finding of 2022’s activities was a carbon store of old native flat oyster shells that that may help show us what the seabed used to look like and what we should be aiming to restore.”
A large native oyster shell discovered on last year’s expedition. Credit – Operation Oyster.
Key milestones for Operation Oyster in 2022 include:
- Project dives on three scientific sites in the Solent, which revealed individual native oysters on a range of habitats, including wrecks and reefs
- A series of Operation Oyster expeditions in the Sound of Mull and Cape Wrath which included a total dive time of 157.7 hours over 191 dives
- The discovery of a substantial dead native oyster reef functioning as a carbon store in Loch Craignish
- Identified several other potential historic native oyster sites
- Created citizen science opportunities for divers and BSAC clubs, including training progression and experience dives
- Recorded evidence of live native oysters around the UK, including the Isle of Wight, Cornwall, Teignmouth, Donegal and the Sound of Mull.
Buoyed by the success of 2022, Andy said he and the Operation Oyster team were looking forward to consolidating on the project’s progress. More expeditions are now planned,
including a return to the Loch Craignish and Jura area in the spring to gain a greater appreciation of what its historic native oyster beds would have looked like 150 years ago.
Andy said that while the project had yet to find a live native oyster reef in the UK, he was looking forward to what 2023 could bring.
“Operation Oyster is a long-term project and while a constant focus will be on going diving and getting data, it is ultimately about helping to restore the cold-water equivalent of coral reefs around our coastline,” said Andy.
“And with Operation Oyster, this is also a fantastic chance for all divers to get involved and add an important environmental purpose to their diving.”
To download the Operation Oyster Report 2022, and to find out how you can get involved in the project’s 2023 activities go to bsac.com/operationoyster
Header Image: The Operation Oyster team, post-dive, off the Isle of Wight. Credit: Operation Oyster.
Fire on Monroe Bravo is the latest book in the Jack Collier series by Fred Lockwood. Our story begins with our lead characters, Jack and Sandro, owners of Marine Salvage & Investigation Company, arriving on the Monroe Bravo Oil & Gas Platform in the North Sea. Having secured a contract for their vessel the MV Stavanger to act as support ship to the platform for TransGlobal Oil, our protagonists are on a celebratory visit.
However almost as soon as they arrive a series of explosions rock the platform, causing huge damage, loss of life and the very real danger of a massive human, ecological and financial disaster.
As the danger mounts for both our heroes and the surviving workers, Jack and Sandro will have to escape the inferno, all while trying to save the platform and the men still trapped unable to help themselves.
The disaster sets the scene for the unfolding story lines following the fate of the platform and our main characters, the police investigation into a suspected terrorist act and the actions of TransGlobal Oil as they attempt to navigate the pubic outcry and financial repercussions.
In his eighth book, Fire on Monroe Bravo, Fred Lockwood delivers an explosive thriller, with plenty of above and in-water drama, and our heroes fighting for survival, what more can you ask for?
We thoroughly recommend this read and look forward to the next in the series. For more information about his book series, you can check out the reviews of his previous books here on Scubaverse.
- Title: Fire On Monroe Bravo
- Author: Fred Lockwood
- ISBN: 979-8325324536
Available in a paperback version and for Kindle from Amazon and book stores.
In June we were incredibly fortunate to be invited to dive in Alonissos, a small Greek Island in the Sporades island chain located in the North Aegean Sea. While I have long been a big fan of the Greek Islands as a great holiday destination, I had not had the opportunity to do any diving on previous visits and Mike and I were extremely excited to see what Alonissos had to offer both above and below the surface!
The Sporades are easily accessible via the airport in Skiathos (the first island in the chain), which is served by Jet2 flights from all major UK airports from May through October. Numerous ferries and charter boats make island hopping from Skiathos Town a breeze. After an hour boat ride, the picturesque port of Patitiri was a wonderful introduction to Alonissos, where we were met by our gracious hosts Kostas of Albedo Travel and Dias of Alonissos Triton Dive Center. Mike and I were delighted to be staying at the Paradise Hotel, aptly named for its stunning views over the sea and great location for walking to the waterfront.
Alonissos is beautifully situated in the National Marine Park of Alonissos and the Northern Sporades, the largest marine protected area in Europe. The surrounding seas offer fabulous marine life, including incredibly rare species such as the Mediterranean monk seal. They boast deep walls covered in gorgonians and sponges, stunning topography with caverns, swimthroughs and pinnacles, and the first accessible ancient shipwreck from 500BC!
In locations where historical sites have been reported, the waters are largely restricted, but with collaboration between government, underwater archeologists and dive centres, incredible underwater museums are being created for a truly unique diving experience. Alonissos is home to the first of these, the Ancient Shipwreck of Peristera Accessible Underwater Archeological Site. The chance to dive into history (along with reports of healthy reef life and amazing underwater topography) meant Mike and I were keen to get in the water.
Our introduction to the diving around Alonissos was at the Agios Georgios Pinnacles, in the channel between Alonissos and Skopelos. This fantastic site was named “The Chimney,’ and proved to have a huge amount to see. We got to a decent depth here (over 25m), and marvelled at a colourful reef wall with a wonderful swim through whose rocky walls were absolutely covered with life. As well as brilliant topography there was no shortage of macro life here. We saw numerous nudibranchs, five different species in total. The second dive at Mourtias reef nearby was a shallower dive along a nice wall with lots of crevices. Several moray eels and grouper called this site home. We enjoyed looking in the crevices for lobster and smaller benthic life, such as cup corals and tunicates.
Our itinerary allowed us two dives a day with afternoons left to explore the island with our hire car and evenings to enjoy the famous Greek hospitality. This proved to be a lovely mix of in-water and land based diversions.
The next days diving to the Gorgonian Gardens and Triton’s Cave was to be even better! These two stunning sites are nothing short of fabulous. The Gorgonian Gardens was a deep wall near to the Agios Georgios islands. The ever-present currents in this deep channel meant that the sea life was amazing … the namesake Gorgonian sea fans dotted the wall at a depth of 30 to 50 meters, getting ever larger the deeper we went. Above 30m was by no means less beautiful, with sponges, corals, scorpionfish, moray eels and some rare and colourful nudibranchs.
The second shallower dive of the day was to Triton’s Cave or the Cavern of Skopelos, on the east side of that island. The spectacular rock formations had wild striations both above and below the water making a truly epic topography. The cavern entrance was at 14m, and big enough for a buddy pair, winding up to 6m and passing two beautiful windows out into the blue. Emerging from the cavern, the light at the shallower depths and the incredible rock formations made for a fantastic gentle swimming safety stop and we all surfaced by the boat with massive grins.
Check out our next blog :Alonissos: The complete diving destination (Part 2)” to hear about our amazing dive on the 2500 year old Peristera Wreck!
Thanks to:
Alonissos Triton Dive Center https://bestdivingingreece.com/
Albedo Travel https://alonissosholidays.com/activities/
Paradise Hotel https://paradise-hotel.gr/
Alonissos Municipality https://alonissos.gr/en/
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