GAME-CHANGING TECH FOR YOUR BOAT
Including super-charged satellite antenna, a new make of oilskins, electric furlers and recycled rope
A seagrass restoration project could lead the way for the large scale replanting of the marine plant around the UK.
The charity WWF, Swansea University and Sky Ocean Rescue are behind the Welsh pilot project, which will see one million seagrass seeds planted over
4.9 acres at Dale Bay in Pembrokeshire this winter. The exact site still hasn’t been decided and discussions are ongoing with key stakeholders and the local community.
Volunteers led by the team at Swansea University collected the seeds this summer from existing seagrass meadows around the British Isles, including Porthdinllaen in the Llŷn Peninsula.
The seagrass, which is found in shallow, sheltered areas along the coast, was reached by snorkelling, diving and wading. The blades containing the seeds were snapped off and then taken to laboratories at Swansea University where they are currently being sorted and prepared.
The seeds will eventually be put into hessian bags to secure them when they are planted on the seabed.
According to scientists, seagrass captures carbon quicker than rainforest, which could make it an invaluable asset in tackling climate change and ecological emergencies. If the project is successful then environmentalists want it to be replicated around the UK coastline.
Swansea University’s Dr Richard Unsworth, who is the director of Project Seagrass, said Dale Bay, which had previously lost its seagrass meadow, has the right water depth and light levels for the plant to thrive there again.
‘If we want to provide our fisheries and our coastlines with the potential to adapt to a rapidly changing climate we need to restore the habitats and biodiversity that support their productivity. Providing a demonstration of the potential for restoration of our marine environment to be meaningful will hopefully act as a catalyst for further recovery of our UK seas,’ he said.
Scientists believe 92% of the UK’S seagrass meadows have been lost over the last century due to pollution, runoff from the land, coastal development and damage from boat propellers and chain moorings.
But the community organisation, Boat Owners Response Group (BORG), which promotes the rights of navigation, anchoring and mooring in the UK, believes anchoring in seagrass ‘causes little disturbance, a view backed by many scientific papers and members’ observations.’
It said little research had been done on the effect of anchoring in seagrass but best practice could mitigate the impact.
It added that a 2018 study showed Studland Bay in Dorset had the highest density of seagrass plants out of 13 seagrass sites surveyed along the south coast, even though Studland is one of the busiest sea anchorages in the UK.