Researchers at Heriot-Watt University, the Scottish Association for Marine Science and St Abbs Marine Station, working with the Welsh fishing industry, recently made the link between horse mussel reefs and common whelk fisheries, a growing industry in some parts of the British Isles. The UK has a long maritime heritage, and fishing and other marine industries are part of our culture and economy, still sustaining livelihoods around the coast. Conservation of the marine environment has to be balanced with people’s use of the sea. Protecting them isn’t only about biodiversity. Degraded habitats can no longer support the same diversity of species, and the more severe the impact, the more likely they are to undergo a phase shift that makes it difficult, if not impossible, for them to recover. Seahorses and their relatives pipefish are often associated with eelgrass.īut complex habitats such as horse mussel reefs and seagrass meadows are highly vulnerable to destruction by certain sorts of fishing gear, offshore development and other direct physical impacts. British seagrass (known as eelgrass) grows best in just a few metres of water, making it well-lit and accessible to divers. Seagrass meadows are among the most threatened habitats in the world. ‘Squat lobsters wave their claws in the current to catch passing food.’ Photograph: Paul Naylorīlue Planet II has showcased the importance of marine vegetation. Squat lobsters, tiny and red, wave their claws in the current to catch passing food. Their shells are encrusted with sponges, coral-like seaweed and countless animals. The mussels build the seabed up into mounds and platforms that jump with life. My favourite British Isles habitat is the horse mussel reef, where giant, elderly mussels (not unlike the deep-sea mussels Blue Planet II shows growing on the shores of a brine lake) knit themselves together with hundreds of other creatures to form a teeming, brightly coloured community to rival a tropical reef. The carpet sea squirt has invaded marinas around the UK and has proved costly to deal with, while Pacific oysters, introduced deliberately for aquaculture, are outcompeting native species. In many waters invasive species are proliferating, some assisted by rising sea temperatures, hitching rides on boats and using marine constructions as stepping stones. Impacts around the UK range from leatherback turtles dying when plastic bags they mistake for their favoured jellyfish prey block their digestive tracts, to masses of tiny plastic filaments turning up in the stomachs of langoustines. Plastic pollution is rightly recognised as one of the major threats to marine life and it is ubiquitous. Last week the Marine Conservation Society’s Great British Beach Clean revealed a 10% increase in litter on British beaches, with a high proportion of plastic packaging and smaller fragments. TV series such as Coast and Britain’s Secret Seas, along with wildlife and environmental groups, have done a huge amount of work to raise awareness, but many people are still more knowledgable about tropical reefs than kelp forests and the riches to be found just off our own shores. Unless we care about these rich ecosystems, we will lose them. This is dangerous because, like oceans around the world, our seas are under serious threat. Yet there seems to be an enduring misconception that the waters around these islands are murky, boring and largely devoid of anything exciting. These deeper waters are home to vast, cold-water coral reefs that can be over 8,000 years old, and are as fragile and colourful as their tropical counterparts. But well done to the BBC and Discovery.While we’re most familiar with our shallow coastal waters, offshore areas of the UK and Ireland can reach depths of over 5,000 metres. If I had a minor criticism it would be some of the obviously added sound effects here and there, I think they detract from some of the scenes. A really great documentary, up there with 'The World at War for' me, the DVD is of excellent quality. The BBC has a knack of putting things at the right level for the intended audience. I like the level of information and facts conveyed through the narration, it is just right, I don't want to know a load of science just some of the basics, to see these things is enough for most people. I missed this documentary when it first came out but nagged various people to buy me it on DVD this Christmas (2002) and I got it! Some of the film is amazing and I have a lot of respect for those who make these kinds of documentaries, to see 200 ton Blue Whales 'cruising' through the Sea is an incredible sight, they looked like submarines. I admit to being in awe of the Sea and have spent a number of years in the Navy, so I am somewhat biased on this one.
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