Co-coast! citizen science project

Today I took part in a training day aimed to teach members of the public how to survey to rocky shores of the UK.

We went through some basic identification and survey techniques before conducting a survey on the shore of the Plymouth Hoe.

The project, which is run for 2 more years, aims to fill a gap of knowledge about the species living on the coast around the whole of the UK. This can be used to track changes caused by human activities such as climate change. 

It's great how the public can get involved in real impact science. 




Want to get involved? 

http://www.capturingourcoast.co.uk/

Back to University..

In September I began an mRes in Marine Biology at the University of Plymouth in partnership with the Marine Biological Association of the UK (MBA).

This is a research orientated degree with only two taught modules and 9 months allocated to research a chosen topic.

Taught modules consist of;

•  Marine Ecology and Conservation
•  Advance Research and Investigation

My chosen field of research will be an investigation into Bio-mimetics on the common limpet (Patella vulgata) with aim to use data collected to modal and predict impacts of a changing climate.


I am enjoying the course so far and even would go as far to say I am enjoying being back in Plymouth.. it has been too long!

The MBA crest

River Survey: Isle Of Man

River Surveys Isle of Man

During a recent visit to the Isle of Man I went on a day out to assist with a river survey on the island. For the past 12 years the department of fisheries and agriculture (DEFRA) have been conducting surveys to assess the abundance of fish in the rivers in order to give each river a classification of quality.

Using electro-fishing they sample the same 30m stretch of different rivers each year. Catching, recording and returning any fish caught. By conducting the surveys year after year they get an indication of the health of the river while assess fish stocks.

Electro-fishing sounds like a brutal way to catch fish but it has all been tested and approved for use. Throughout the day it became more apparent how necessary it was. Using a metal ring connected to a battery, electric current is charged into the water this momentarily stuns the fish while others using nets catch the fish, which are place in holding buckets. The fish we were catching, mostly juvenile trout and salmon and some eels, were often small, hidden under rocks and in fast flowing water. Without the use of electricity it would be near impossible to catch them, it was hard enough using electricity. The fish are then identified and measure. A second pass is then made to catch any fish missed on the first run. An equation is then used to make an estimation on any fish missed on both runs. Finally the fish are return to the river.

We assess three rivers during the day and caught roughly a total of; 65 trout, 115 salmon and 35 eels. 

Beach Clean: Gili Air

One thing you can't help but notice the abundance of marine debris and plastic in Indonesia. 

When we were here last over Dec/Jan it was unbelievable. In the little Gili's, South Lombok there was more plastic than anything else in the water. We spent 30mins collecting bags of the stuff which seemed to be a futile attempt. The locals said it wasn't that bad all year and the currents and tides had brought most of it there but that means its in the water somewhere all year round. 

On Gili Air it hasn't been so bad, you still see more plastic bags floating or rubbish on the ocean floor than you would like to but compared to South Lomboc it's minimal. However, one morning after the full moon, the highest tides of the month brought an array of debris onto the beach. 

There was so much including drift wood, glass bottles and lots of plastic. In 10 minutes of plastic picking we collected 2 big piles. All the plastic was coated in black oil making more dangerous for the environment.

The worst part was the level of micro-plastics which covered the tide line. This is more likely to be eaten and enter the food chain making it even more deadly. The locals were in force helping to clean which was great to see. However I did see one guy pick up a 5 litre jerry can full of black oil. He checked in a couple of times and then swung his arm back to launch it into the ocean. I yelled hold on and stopped it from potential polluting but it showed the level uneducation or inability to deal with the problem of marine debris on the island.



Where does it all come from? Just Indonesia or have the currents brought it from far flung oceans? The next thing, once we collected some plastic, is where will it end up now. We bagged it up which in theory was to be sent to Lomboc to a recycling facility. Its hard to say whether it will ever make it or just end up back in the ocean to start the cycle again...

New dive job: Scallywags Divers- Gili Air, Indonesia

Our time in Australia unfortunately came to an end as our visa expires however the misfortunes was short lived as our next stop was the beautiful Gili Air, Indonesia. 

We arrived to this small tropical beach island by boat ready to get back in the water and looking for dive work.

After a short search we found the lovely Scallywags dive center. The staff were friendly and we immediately felt at home. After a couple of days famil diving to learn the sites Rowan and me were ready to start as full time dive masters. 

The diving here is awesome; with 31c water, crystal clear vis and more turtles than you can shake a reg at. The variety of fish and other marine life is amazing too. The Peacock Mantis Shrimp is a great new character from me on the reef, this exquisite yet bolshy little critter zips in and out of dens in search of prey. Often it squares up to us ready to fight, I love it. 

Peacock Mantis Shrimp

However, like many other spots around the world the reefs here aren't pristine a lack of larger fish shows evidence of unsustainable fishing. The aftermath of previous dynamite fishing is also clear to see. Despite that the reefs make for great diving and recent efforts by the Indonesian governments to stop illegal fishing give an optimistic future. 

Thanks to Megan, Kat, Rebbca, Dave, Ari, Tommy and the all boat boys. You are all legends and it's been great working here.. See you all again!

http://scallywagsresort.com/scuba_diving_gili_islands/

Sea Shepherd Fundraising

After having an amazing time in Cairns it was time to move on. 

We made our way down the East Coast in the van all the way down to Sydney. Then we headed over to Indonesia for a months exploring with our families. We had a amazing time seeing 6 different islands and plenty of beautiful marine life.

Once we returned to Australia we set off on the final leg of our journey in the van from Sydney to Melbourne. This would be our final destination, a place to work and sell our beloved van. 

After a day of job hunting I spotted a team of fundraising wearing Sea Shepherd shirts. After a 5 minute chat I was on the phone to the manager and ready for an interview that afternoon. 

I worked for the next 3 months fundraising for the ocean. Fundraising to stop illegal whaling/fishing, inspiring people to stop shark finning, educating people about captivity/slaughter of dolphins in Japan. I met lots of amazing people and was able to use my knowledge of the marine environment to really inspire people to get behind Sea Shepherd.

It is an amazing charity. I love the hands-on direct action approach they take. Its sets them apart from other charities and is totally necessary as most places they operate are authority voids allowing poaching vessels to do what they want. Without Sea Shepherd the Japanese whalers would still be murdering thousands of whales. A fleet of around 30 illegal poaching vessels would still be in operation.

Thanks to Paul Thompson (manager) and the rest of the team. Special thanks to Will Sadlier for being a great mate to work with and killing it in the A-team

http://www.seashepherd.org.au/