Let’s not miss the boat in saving sea species

19th March 2007 

The highly intelligent cuttlefish thrives in the protection of seagrass beds.  
The male impresses its potential mate with incredible flashing colour changes. 
Photgraph by Paul Naylor.

People may say there are “plenty more fish in the sea” but some species such as cuttlefish and pink sea fans are threatened by our destructive activities, according to Cornwall Wildlife Trust.

Many marine species are under pressure, and may be at risk, unless marine reserves are put in place around our coastline.  A recent poll asked the public to say how much of our sea is fully protected.  The average guess was 19%.  The truth is less than one per cent is designated as a Marine Reserve and, despite the wealth of marine wildlife here, there are no fully protected marine areas in Cornwall.

The UK’s seas are extraordinarily rich in wildlife, harbouring more than 44,000 animal and plant species.  Our seas are poorly protected compared to land and are under increasing pressure as offshore activities increase and climate change alters the marine ecosystem. 

The Trust has been campaigning for many years for comprehensive legislation to achieve better protection for marine wildlife and effective management of our seas.  The Marine Bill has been a long time coming and we’re not there yet, but it has the potential to be a once in a lifetime opportunity to improve the conservation and management of our seas, and support for it is crucial.  The Trust welcomes the broad support for new marine legislation from all political parties, and particularly welcomes the publication of the Marine White Paper which came out on 15th March 2007.

The fragile and slow growing pink sea fan is nationally rare but is being surveyed in
Cornwall through Cornwall Wildlife Trust’s Seasearch project. 
Photograph by Paul Naylor.

Ruth Williams, Marine Conservation Officer for Cornwall Wildlife Trust, said: “Cornwall has a fantastically rich marine life, with many different habitats from estuary and mudflat, to high-rise cliff-top and craggy coastline.  It is home to the world’s second biggest fish - the plankton-eating basking shark - stunning coral gardens and the master of camouflage, the cuttlefish.  Cornwall’s waters serve as summer feeding grounds for whales, including minke, pilot and orcas and as a year-round habitat for dolphins and porpoises.  Marine conservation is an essential part of the work of Cornwall Wildlife Trust, but poses a number of challenges.  The Government’s publication of a White Paper setting out its plans for the Marine Bill is an important step towards better protection of our seas.  However, it is essential for the key proposals within it to be translated into legislation as soon as possible.”

School children from around Cornwall helped to do their bit for the marine environment as they celebrated St Piran's Day 2007 at the Eden Project earlier this month.  Working with The Trust they made a "Wish Fish" where their hopes for the marine environment in the face of man-made threats were written onto the scales of the fish (nicknamed 'Bertie Bass').  The Wish Fish can next be seen at CWT’s 45th Birthday party at Chacewater Village Hall on May 26th, so come along and add your wish then.  We hope to have him completely covered by the end of Marine Week in August so he can form part of a shoal of Wish Fish being presented to Parliament to support the need for a comprehensive Marine Bill.

Here are some ways you can help:

• Help select future Marine Reserves by joining a Seasearch marine life diving survey. 
• Join in on one of our marine events where you can sign our wish fish and learn more about the sea and the wildlife that lives in it.  Visit www.cornwallwildlifetrust.org.uk for details of all events.
• Make a donation to our Marine Appeal today.