He's at it again

Daedelus

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Seahorse trust claiming that there are now loads of seahorses in evidence as a direct result of boats not anchoring in Studland. (Is it possible he broke lock down to gather the information ?)
 

Strikeliner

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I think that it's no coincidence that last Monday also saw the return of Seahorse Racing (without spectators of course). At least I think that's what I heard.
Therefore no one will be allowed to anchor until further notice.
 

oldharry

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Funny how they have been saying it will take years for the habitat to recover. This year its happened in just a few weeks. The usual confusion in the Beeb report between the minimal effect of anchoring and scouring permanent chain moorings, which were there long before the eelgrass invaded the mooring area!

Anyway who pays the estimated £3.2k each cost of EFM's? NGMs answer - 'the boat owners of course'. as though we are some sort of corporate body or club that can raise funding.
 

cherod

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take years under " normal " circumstances but much quicker if the main cause of the problem were to be removed , as it has been ,, obvious.
 

Iliade

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Nothing to do with the climate having changed though... (Wettest winter ever, loads of runoff, followed by sunniest spring since records began - even sunnier than the sunniest summer!)

More horses more likely due to overfishing of a predator of the fry or greater abundance of fry food.
 

[165264]

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I think the little blighters are ugly. I don't care if they become extinct next week. Is there some sort of Seahorse Hugger organisation out there?
 

oldharry

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. Is there some sort of Seahorse Hugger organisation out there?
Yes, The Seahorse Trust a one man band run by one Neil Garrick Maidment. He has been paddling around in the shallows in Studland since the 1990's chasing the critturs. He and his mates got very excited because they found one particular variety of seahorse breeding there around 2007. in 2008 he claimed to have seen over 40 seahorses in Studland. Hundreds of divers went to look, and scared them away. However SHT decided that it was the number of boats anchoring that had destroyed the colony. There's simply no evidence of this, and with help from this forum since 2009 have worked to present the Boaters point of view. Our main objection is that there are clear basic flaws in SHT arguments, and we have built up a big library of verified scientific observations proving our point. Boat Owners resposne group is well known to Natural England, the Wildlife Trusts, Defra and the MMO, and even the House of Commons Science Committee has accepted our reports and views.

Studland is now an MCZ, and SHT are still trying to clear the boats out and will not discuss anything with us, unlike all the other bodies involved who are happy to listen to our views and discuss ways and means with us and RYA.
 
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MikeCC

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As no-one seems to verify SHT output, who knows if there have been any number of seahorses there or not? I thought the comment from Natural England was quite tactful. I expect now SHT have had a good rummage in the grass beds, the seahorses will clear off and it will be blamed on returning boaters
 

oldharry

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"Assigning the wrong cause to a possible problem does no favours for conservation: it ...wastes scarce conservation resources by trying to cure the “wrong disease” or to solve a non-existent problem, as well as trashing the reputation and credibility of the conservation body concerned "
'Seahorse Numbers in Studland Bay: the Truth' by Michael Simons, for Boat Owners' Response Group (BORG), October 2014 . Full report here: http://boatownersresponse.org.uk/Seahorse-numbers-the-truth.pdf go to the homepage for a great deal more.
 

oldharry

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MDL have just sent out this link on all their facebook accounts:

Seagrass is a key seabed habitat, but it is also one of the most rapidly declining on earth due to coastal development, damage from boat propellers, chain moorings and pollution. Project Seagrass states on its website that “as much as 92% of the UK’s seagrass has been lost.”

Seagrass restoration project for the UK
Yes: look at the quote: In the last century.... The reality is that nearly all European seagrass was killed off by disease in the 1930's. What we have now has nearly all grown back since then. Studland had one small patch perhaps 100Sqm in 1952. It now has 96 hectares. Since the boating boom started in the late 50s it has been one of the country's most popular sea anchorages, with 1000's of boats visiting and anchoring there each summer since the mid 60s. Aerial photography shows that the eelgrass is continuing to spread across the bay. The evidence is there and the only comprehensive eelgrass survey done there could find no significant difference between eelgrass that is anchored in regualrly and that which is not!

That seagrass is a key seabed habitat and needs protecting we do not dispute, and yes we do need to be careful not to disturb it either by allowing our anchors to drag in it, or by excessive use of engines when we run aground, following the advice in the RYA 'Anchoring with Care' leaflet, the study group for which i was Chair.
 

Blue Sunray

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Yes: look at the quote: In the last century.... The reality is that nearly all European seagrass was killed off by disease in the 1930's. What we have now has nearly all grown back since then. Studland had one small patch perhaps 100Sqm in 1952. It now has 96 hectares. Since the boating boom started in the late 50s it has been one of the country's most popular sea anchorages, with 1000's of boats visiting and anchoring there each summer since the mid 60s. Aerial photography shows that the eelgrass is continuing to spread across the bay. The evidence is there and the only comprehensive eelgrass survey done there could find no significant difference between eelgrass that is anchored in regualrly and that which is not!

That seagrass is a key seabed habitat and needs protecting we do not dispute, and yes we do need to be careful not to disturb it either by allowing our anchors to drag in it, or by excessive use of engines when we run aground, following the advice in the RYA 'Anchoring with Care' leaflet, the study group for which i was Chair.

Perhaps you should address your reply to MDL, who have re-broadcast this without comment?
 
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