Have you EVER seen 350 boats in Studland Bay?

[Babylon]

From an article in today's Times, by Environment Editor Ben Webster, quoting Neil Garrick-Maidment of the Seahorse Trust:

"Studland Bay is normally crowded with up to 350 leisure boats on a sunny day in May. Their engine noise disturbs marine life and their anchors tear up the seagrass where the seahorses shelter, feed and breed."

I'm as aware of and concerned about the environment as the next person, but isn't the phenomenal destruction of major global resources (e.g. the accelerated destruction of Brazil's rainforest) of greater concern - rather than one individual's pathalogical hatred of boaters in a single bay off the south coast of England?

 

[sarabande]

Garrick Madeupstories must be challenged on this. Does anyone know how to raise a complaint against the Times ?

 

[longjohnsilver]

Garrick Madeupstories must be challenged on this. Does anyone know how to raise a complaint against the Times ?

Not much chance of success when they’re directly quoting NGM. It would be better to knock on his door in Topsham and have a quiet word.
Lets hope his funding dries up in this pandemic...........

 

[halcyon]

Social media does not cost a lot for a lot of coverage though.

Brian

 

[Babylon]

Garrick Madeupstories must be challenged on this. Does anyone know how to raise a complaint against the Times ?

I'd urge as many people as possible to write to them:

 

[Sharky34]

From an article in today's Times, by Environment Editor Ben Webster, quoting Neil Garrick-Maidment of the Seahorse Trust:

"Studland Bay is normally crowded with up to 350 leisure boats on a sunny day in May. Their engine noise disturbs marine life and their anchors tear up the seagrass where the seahorses shelter, feed and breed."

I'm as aware of and concerned about the environment as the next person, but isn't the phenomenal destruction of major global resources (e.g. the accelerated destruction of Brazil's rainforest) of greater concern - rather than one individual's pathalogical hatred of boaters in a single bay off the south coast of England?

But its not just "a single bay", its the abode of the National Seahorse.

 

[JumbleDuck]

NGM's obsession seems to be getting out of hand.

 

[Babylon]

If he can inflate the number of boats typically anchored by a factor of TEN , ought we not to correct his count of the number of seahorses he encounters on each dive by a similar factor?

 

[[165264]]

Let's start inventing recipies for seahorse. Perhaps the French would help? I feel the need to join his FB group.

 

[Resolution]

Let's start inventing recipies for seahorse. Perhaps the French would help? I feel the need to join his FB group.

The Chinese (inevitably) do eat seahorses, rather like kebabs on a skewer. Years ago, when this subject started on YBW , I posted a photo taken by my son in Beijing.

 

[Robin]

The Chinese (inevitably) do eat seahorses, rather like kebabs on a skewer. Years ago, when this subject started on YBW , I posted a photo taken by my son in Beijing.

They need tenderising by hammering first with a 50kg CQR or are too tough

 

[Laser310]

We see this same thing across all aspects of public life

pressure groups, quangos, whatever initially raise reasonable concerns, and float reasonable solutions. all reasonable people are onboard...

but their actual aims go far beyond those initial proposals.., and will only be apparent in hindsight.

I have no doubt that the long-term aim of groups like this one is the complete elimination of recreational boating - it may take them 10 or 20 years, but they will not give up. "impossible" you say? It isn't.

The other thing about organizations with policy goals is that the truth is _always_ subservient to the goal.

 

[[165264]]

We see this same thing across all aspects of public life

pressure groups, quangos, whatever initially raise reasonable concerns, and float reasonable solutions. all reasonable people are onboard...

but their actual aims go far beyond those initial proposals.., and will only be apparent in hindsight.

I have no doubt that the long-term aim of groups like this one is the complete elimination of recreational boating - it may take them 10 or 20 years, but they will not give up. "impossible" you say? It isn't.

The other thing about organizations with policy goals is that the truth is _always_ subservient to the goal.

Bit like fox hunting. A subject on which I am- unusually- neutral. I used to have a Hanoverian, but Inever hunted. However, I could have done had I so wished.

 

[JumbleDuck]

We see this same thing across all aspects of public life

pressure groups, quangos, whatever initially raise reasonable concerns, and float reasonable solutions. all reasonable people are onboard...

Another aspect is that most people involved in conservation are nice. They genuinely want to make the world a better place, and that's a nice thing to do. Unfortunately it can make them also perhaps a little too trusting - they believe that everyone else is nice, well-intentioned and honest and fail to spot the malevolent and dishonest exploiting them to further their own bizarre obsessions.

 

[colhel]

Unfortunately NGM seems to have the upper hand with the media on this issue, even if it is lies.

 

[Blue Sunray]

NGM's obsession seems to be getting out of hand.

In the sense that he's winning? You may have a point, it's sad though.

Still at least we can all post outraged messages on here.

Unfortunately NGM seems to have the upper hand with the media on this issue, even if it is lies.

Correct

 

[JumbleDuck]

In the sense that he's winning? You may have a point, it's sad though.

Is he, though? Boats are still anchoring at Studland, even if he has managed to convince Chris Packham and a few equally naive and gullible journalists.

 

[Boathook]

Let's start inventing recipies for seahorse. Perhaps the French would help? I feel the need to join his FB group.

The trouble is with him is that if you disagree with him or his views he removes you from his fb page and elsewhere so I've heard. If his counting of boats is the same as seahorses he has possibly counted the same few multiple times.

 

[bobgarrett]

350?!

Let's agree to set a limit of no more than 175 boats at a time!

 

[[165264]]

It is easy enough to set up a FB page