News from Solway Firth Partnership, July 2017

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Take part in Jellyfish Survey, Ballast Water Management, OSPAR Intermediate Assessment 2017

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Take Part in the Summer Jellyfish Survey!

News, July 2017

Summer Jellyfish Survey

The Marine Conservation Society (MCS) are asking the public to keep their eyes peeled for jellyfish on the beach this summer. There is still very little known about these wobbly wonders but it is known that several species of threatened sea turtle feed on them, and in UK waters too!

So report back to MCS where you see jellyfish so they can map them, understand how they may be affecting us, and where they may be attracting turtles.

And if you don’t know your moon from your lion’s mane? Luckily there's a free Jellyfish Identification Guide to download to help you work out what you’ve spotted. Click on the guide below to download.

News Update & Events

Sunday 23 July
Coastwise Walk, Port Logan
There are only a few places left on the guided walk at the Telford Port Logan Event run by the Mull of Galloway Trust. Explore the history and wildlife on the rocky shores of Port Logan. More information here

Wednesday 26 July
Shore Walk, Allonby
Join Solway shore walker Ann Lingard on a guided walk from Allonby to Dubmill Point, taking in the Allonby Bay Marine Conservation Zone. More information here

Sunday 30 July
Beached Art, St Bees
Celebrate all things sea at Cumbria Wildlife Trust's annual fun day on the wonderful St Bees Beach, featuring the popular sand sculpture competition. More information here

Ballast Water Management Comes into Force in Sept

The International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships' Ballast Water and Sediments will enter into force on 8 September 2017, marking a landmark step towards halting the spread of invasive aquatic species, which can cause havoc for local ecosystems, affect biodiversity and lead to substantial economic loss. The damage to the environment is often irreversible.

Under the Convention’s terms, ships will be required to manage their ballast water to remove, render harmless, or avoid the uptake or discharge of aquatic organisms and pathogens within ballast water and sediments.

IMO Secretary-General Kitack Lim said, “The Ballast Water Management Convention coming into force will not only minimise the risk of invasions by alien species via ballast water, it will also provide a global level playing field for international shipping, providing clear and robust standards for the management of ballast water on ships.”

Read more here

Image of Carpet Sea Squirt courtesy of CCW

OSPAR Intermediate Assessment 2017

OSPAR has published the results of the Intermediate Assessment (IA 2017) which was undertaken to further understand the marine environment of the North-East Atlantic and its current status. This demonstrates OSPAR’s progress towards realising its vision of a clean, healthy and biologically diverse North-East Atlantic, used sustainably.

The IA 2017 provides background information and assessments of human pressures on the marine environment and biological diversity of the OSPAR Maritime Area. There are some key messages articulated including:-

The network of OSPAR Marine Protected Areas is expanding
Marine Birds are in trouble
Contaminant concentrations are decreasing, but concerns remain
Marine Litter is a problem
Discharges from offshore wind and gas installations have decreased due to OSPAR measures
Radioactive discharges from the nuclear sector have decreased
Cooperation ensures progress

..........and more. To view the full online report click here

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