Sea slugs and seaweeds make headlines in The Wildlife Trusts' 2024 marine review

Innovation, research and a mammoth volunteering effort helped conservationists learn more about wildlife in UK seas, reveals The Wildlife Trusts' 2024 marine review  published on the 19th December.

Seaside volunteers clocked over 46,000 thousand hours surveying shorelines and recording wildlife. In Devon, this amazing contribution amounted to more than 700 hours.

Discoveries reported in the annual round-up include climate-indicator sea slugs and seaweeds, plus sightings of conger eels and humpback whales.

The Wildlife Trusts – and 80% of the British public – want to see bottom trawling banned in protected areas, and measures to ensure that offshore developments are nature positive. The charities say that strengthening protection of the UK's blue carbon can help to achieve climate and biodiversity goals.

Coral Smith is Devon Wildlife Trust's Marine Awareness Officer. Based at the charity's popular Wembury Marine Centre, near Plymouth, Coral said:

"It has been another fantastic year for marine wildlife sightings in Devon. Out to sea we've had dolphins and whales and spectacular displays from Bluefin tuna, as they continue their comeback in local waters. Closer to shore it's been a good year for Cuttlefish, Spider crabs and all kinds of weird and wonderful invertebrates including Devon's first record of a Rainbow sea slug, Babakina anadonis. The appearance of this beautiful nudibranch is, however, a warning that our waters are warming!

It's also been a tough year for marine wildlife in many ways. We've seen high numbers of Invasive Non-Native Species (INNS) recorded along both the north and south coastlines of Devon during the surveys conducted by our volunteers. Our volunteer Shoresearch team also continue to find disturbing quantities of ocean plastics, bycatch [dead dolphins, seals, whales and sharks accidentally caught in fishing nets] and 'ghost' [abandoned] fishing gear. Add to this are the continued and well-publicised water quality concerns affecting many of our estuaries and bathing waters.

What is certain though, is that we wouldn't know any of this information without our dedicated network of marine volunteers: passionate people, who devoted more than 700 hours of their time surveying, monitoring and engaging others with our incredible marine environment. A huge thanks must go them."

Ruth Williams, head of marine conservation at The Wildlife Trusts, says:

"People are central to nature recovery and made huge contributions to our knowledge of UK seas this year. Wildlife surveys and monitoring have led to incredible discoveries, including new species on UK shores. Success stories demonstrate the enormous value of marine conservation and why robust protection is critical for nature recovery.

"As the first country to map all its blue carbon habitats, the UK has a unique position to champion better protection for seabed habitats. They are the unsung heroes in our fight against climate change. We need policies that stop damaging activities in protected areas, plus continued support for innovation, monitoring and work to improve coastal habitats."

Discoveries of climate change indicators and non-native species were made through The Wildlife Trusts' national intertidal survey programme, Shoresearch, and volunteering days. Highlights from the South West's waters include:

• First records of a rainbow sea slug in Devon.
• First records of the non-native kelp seaweed, wakame at Wembury, Devon.
• Pom-pom weed – a seaweed native to Asia that forms red tangled 'pompoms' – was found across Devon. It could displace macro-invertebrates, like barnacles.
•  Hundreds of mauve jellyfish washed up in Cornwall and on the Isles of Scilly. They are normally found in warmers waters such as the Mediterrranean.
• Very dense aggregation of invasive pacific oyster at Hope Cove in Devon. They can alter ecosystems through reef formation and displacing native oysters.

Successful research projects helped conservationists learn more about UK marine habitats and wildlife. The Wildlife Trusts were one of the charities behind The Blue Carbon Mapping Project, which saw the UK become the first country to estimate the carbon stored in its seabed habitats. The report reinforced calls to ban bottom-trawling in Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), as 43% of the UK's blue carbon is in these zones.

Monitoring of marine habitats demonstrate how wildlife can recover when areas are properly protected. Highlights include:

• A spiny lobster was found in Wembury Bay, Devon, for the first time in living memory. They are returning following excessive fishing in the 60s and 70s.
• St Piran's hermit crabs were recorded in great numbers on the south coast. They were wiped out by the Torrey Canyon Spill of 1967.
• Giant mussel beds, greater diversity of fish and increased numbers of lobster were reported in Sussex – three years after a byelaw was passed to protect 300km² of seabed from trawling. A tope shark and European eel were also found among 81 different marine species recorded.

New conservation projects include large-scale initiatives in Cornwall and Essex to link conservation efforts on land with protecting important marine and coastal habitats. Other conservation highlights include:

• Volunteers measured a snakelocks anemone and coral weed bed the size of 5 Olympic swimming pools in Kimmeridge Bay, Dorset – maybe unique in UK seas.
• Volunteers gathered by hand over 3,000kg of rubbish from beaches – the weight of three baby humpback whales – in clean-ups organised by Wildlife Trusts.
• Alderney's northern gannets – 1% of the global population – became one of the first in the world to be surveyed with drones and Artificial Intelligence.

Rainbow Sea Slug, Wembury. Photo copyright Paul Naylor (All Rights Reserved)

Pacific Oysters, Devon. Photo copyright Grahame Smith (All Rights Reserved)

 

Wakame, Devon. Photo copyright Coral Smith (All Rights Reserved)

 

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The Wildlife Trusts' marine review 2024 can be read here.

People wishing to volunteer to help Devon Wildlife Trust in its work for the marine environment can visit https://www.devonwildlifetrust.org/wilder-seas or email marine@devonwildlifetrust.org"

Glad Tidings and Season's Greetings

Glad Tidings and Season's Greetings to you lovers of nature, wildlife and the coast and countryside. Thank you so much for visiting and liking the pictures and posts on my North Devon Focus Website, Blog, Facebook, Flickr and Instagram. Thank you for sharing your news and local events.

It's been another storm-filled  year for everyone so I hope this little Robin brings some brightness to your day. 

🎄🎄🎅🎅Merry Christmas🎅🎅 🎄🎄

Here's to happiness,  health and peace in 2025

Just a reminder for birders and nature watchers the Big Garden Birdwatch 2025 will take place from Friday, January 24th to Sunday, January 26th

Sustainability in Social Care: Evolve Care Group's Catering Training

Promoting Sustainability in the Care Sector: Evolve Care Group's Bristol Catering Training Day

Recently, Evolve Care Group hosted their second catering training day, emphasising their dedication to continuous improvement and striving for excellence in mealtime experiences across their care homes in the Southwest. Building on the momentum of their first session in June, 25 catering team members gathered once again at Nisbets, the National Catering Equipment Centre in Bristol, reflecting the crucial role ongoing training plays in achieving their commitment to being better every day.

This training day focused on sustainability in catering, encouraging teams to explore innovative methods for reducing waste, creatively repurposing surplus ingredients, and adapting simple recipes into popular favourites. Sustainability is essential in catering as it not only reduces environmental impact but also promotes efficient use of resources, ensuring future generations can enjoy the benefits of a healthy planet. The catering teams were taught how to prepare three basic soup recipes, with Chef Joe Oliver from Creed Foodservice demonstrating how to elevate each one with just a few additional ingredients. In addition to soups, the teams experimented with making bread in various shapes and flavours, showcasing how small, mindful changes can lead to significant positive outcomes in both flavour and sustainability.

The session also addressed the needs of residents, fondly referred to as family members, who require a pureed diet. Teams were shown how to present pureed food in a more visually appealing way, ensuring it closely resembles formed food; for instance, moulding pureed carrots into the shape of a carrot. Joe Oliver highlighted the importance of the mealtime experience by saying, "The meals prepared by these kitchen teams could be among the most meaningful moments for family members, which is why every meal should feel special."

Others noted how they were motivated by seeing their progress from the last session and felt proud of turning a simple dish like soup into something that could bring much pleasure.

The next catering training day will be held on the 28th of November and will have a Christmas theme. The catering teams will also be asked to demonstrate their soup-making adjustments, allowing them to transfer the skills they've gained since the last session.

EVOLVE CARE GROUP MEDIA RELEASE

For more information about catering roles within Evolve Care Group, please visit www.evolvecaregroup.com/contact-us.

Nisbets National Catering Equipment Centre Visit Nisbets 

Creed Foodservice Creed Foodservice