Firth of Clyde Forum Annual Conference 2007

The Clyde’s Cool Seas: The Marine Conservation Society in Scotland

• Conference Home
• Conference Programmme
• Keynote Presentation
• Additional Presentations
  • The Growth Of Marine Leisure on The Firth of Clyde
  • Industry Initiatives
  • The Clyde’s Cool Seas: The Marine Conservation Society in Scotland
  • Paths Around the Water
  • Sailing in the Clyde Estuary
  • The Economy of the Coast
  • The Majestic Line
  • Marine Wildlife Watching on the Clyde: The Scottish Marine Wildlife Watching Code
• Speakers' Biographies
• Conference Exhibitors

Anne Saunders described the interesting and extensive work of the Marine Conservation Society and introduced her newly established post of Scottish Projects Officer with its particular focus on the Firth of Clyde.

The Marine Conservation Society

The Marine Conservation Society (MCS) is the UK charity dedicated to the protection of our seas, shores and wildlife, and campaigns for clean seas and beaches, sustainable fisheries, protection of marine life and their habitats, and the sensitive use of our marine resources. All MCS work focuses on education and community involvement, through volunteer projects and surveys. Data gathered from these projects is used to lobby government and industry, on issues such as marine litter and pollution.

Scottish Projects Officer

This new post was appointed in May 2007, with part funding from Scottish Natural Heritage and The Underwood Trust. The post covers the whole of Scotland, with a focus on the southwest, in particular the Firth of Clyde and the Solway Firth. The main purpose of the post is to develop and run a new outreach project, Cool Seas Scotland, which incorporates existing MCS projects, as outlined below. The new post is based in the MCS Scotland office in Edinburgh.

Cool Seas Scotland

This outreach project will promote Scotland’s amazing marine biodiversity to urban families and communities, through a programme of events, talks and workshops. A new website with teaching resources is currently being updated; new banner displays, leaflets and activity booklets for children are being developed; and a new regular MCS Scottish members’ newsletter is being produced. The official launch of the project will be in April 2008 on the Clyde. MCS is very keen on joint working with other organisations, and Anne is available for events, talks, and article submissions.

Adopt-a-Beach

The UK-wide Adopt-a-Beach project began in 1994, and is an ideal project for individuals, schools, community groups and businesses to get involved in their local environment. Litter is collected and recorded from each adopted beach, up to 4 times per year. There are currently around 70 beaches adopted in Scotland. Marine litter is a hazard to humans, pets and wildlife. Ingesting litter, especially plastics, can cause death through blockage of an animal’s gut.

Wildlife is also vulnerable to being entangled in litter, leading to impaired movement, injury or drowning. The data collected is used to lobby government and industry to stop litter at source. For more details of the project visit www.adoptabeach.org.uk.

Beachwatch

Beachwatch is the flagship event of the Adopt-a-Beach project, which takes place annually on the third weekend of September. Over 450 beaches in the UK registered to take part in 2007 (69 in Scotland), which is a record total! The data collected is analysed and the Beachwatch 2007 Report will be published in Spring 2008, and will be used to lobby government and industry. The 2006 Report is currently available from www.adoptabeach.org.uk.

Basking Shark and Turtle Watch

The basking shark is the world’s second largest fish, measuring up to 11 metres and weighing up to 7 tonnes. They are an endangered species in the NE Atlantic. The sharks migrate to UK waters in summer to feed on the abundant plankton here. Recent years have seen a 65% increase in sightings in Scottish waters, with a corresponding decrease in SW English waters, indicating that changes in sea temperatures and food availability may be moving basking sharks further north within the limits of their natural range. Therefore, visitors to the Scottish coast now have an increased chance of spotting one of these amazing creatures.

Scottish hotspots for basking sharks include the Firth of Clyde, the Solway Firth and the Inner Hebrides. Sightings can be recorded online www.mcsuk.org and all data is used to produce yearly reports, which are used to promote species conservation measures.

As well as sharks, it may be even more of a surprise that UK waters contain turtles! Five species of turtle have been recorded here, and of these the leatherback turtle is the most common. They are a critically endangered species. They are large creatures, usually two metres long and weighing approximately 600kg. Leatherbacks migrate across the Atlantic to feed on jellyfish in UK waters during the summer. You would have the best chance of spotting one on the west coast, and they have been recorded as far north as Shetland. Data from sightings (report online at www.mcsuk.org) is used to promote species conservation measures.

Jellyfish Survey

There are several species of jellyfish in our waters, and these can be seen at any location around the UK. Jellyfish are the prey of leatherback turtles, so the more that is known about jellyfish and their distribution, the more that can be learnt about turtles, and hence the more effective turtle conservation measures can be. Again, sightings can be reported online (www.mcsuk.org) and a photo ID guide can also be downloaded or requested by post.

The Clyde’s Cool Seas

The Clyde does indeed have cool seas, and you can get involved with all of the above projects on the Clyde. But even if you don’t see a basking shark or a turtle, there are amazing creatures to be found just on the beach and in rock pools. MCS is producing a new Scottish Seashore Guide and a Clyde’s Cool Seas leaflet to help get you started.

MCS will be running a programme of events over the next two years in the southwest.

For more details please contact Anne Saunders on 0131 226 2391 or anne.saunders@mcsuk.org, visit the Scottish pages at www.mcsuk.org or see the latest MCS Scottish members’ newsletter.