Seasearch Annual Report 2020
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ANNUAL REPORT 2020 This report summarises Seasearch activities throughout Britain, Ireland and the neighbouring Crown Dependencies of the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man in 2020. It includes a summary of the main surveys undertaken (pages 2-9), reports produced and a summary of the data collected. This includes records of Priority habitats and species, locally important features and nationally scarce and rare species (pages 10-13) and habitats (pages 13-17). It also includes a summary of the training courses run for volunteer divers (page 18) and information on how Seasearch is organised and the data is managed and made available (page 19). All of the reports referred to may be downloaded from the Seasearch website and the species data may be accessed through the National Biodiversity Network (NBN) Atlas website at nbnatlas.org, where Seasearch now provide the second- largest marine dataset (and more records than the historical Marine Nature Conservation Review of the late 1980s and early 1990s). Seasearch Surveys 2020 The following pages summarise the main surveys undertaken in 2020. The restrictions imposed on our activities (and daily lives) by the global covid pandemic made 2020 into a very different year than ‘normal’. We were forced to cancel all organised activities after those held up to mid-March, and subsequently relied on the network of Seasearch volunteers undertaking independent dives and snorkels where permitted. Consequently, the number of forms recorded overall is lower than in 2020, but there are successes to be reported which lighten the overall picture. In some cases, Summary Reports can be downloaded from the Seasearch website (denoted ®in the sub-heading). Data from all of the surveys has been entered into the Marine Recorder database and can be freely accessed on the National Biodiversity Network (NBN) Atlas at nbnatlas.org. Financial support in 2020 at a national level was given by the partners on the right in addition to the MCS. Seasearch is coordinated and delivered locally in England by Wildlife Trust and MCS coordinators, in Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man by MCS coordinators and in the Republic of Ireland by individuals. 1 SCOTLAND ® An extensive flame shell bed, only the second known The year 2020 is memorable in several respects. Firstly remaining flame shell bed in the Clyde marine region, due to the arrival with a bang of the worldwide was located by Seasearchers from Arran. This discovery Coronavirus pandemic that has had such an effect on our adds to the habitats and species for which the South lives and activities. Secondly, more prosaically, changes Arran MPA was originally designated in 2016. took place in coordinatorship of Seasearch in Scotland. Although Seasearch took the decision early on not to Seasearch volunteers were also involved with organise any diving trips in 2020, and to cancel or documenting the occurrence of high numbers of the eggs postpone certain events that had already been in the of Dipturus intermedius (flapper skate) in the Inner calendar, many stalwarts still managed to get diving on a Sound north of Skye. Repeated visits indicated that this a socially distanced basis and to spend a rewarding few spawning area. The flapper skate is a critically moments filling in the occasional Seasearch Observation endangered species and, due to its rarity, almost nothing or Survey form. is known of its ecology including breeding habits and locations. The Red Rocks and Longay urgent MPA was Natalie Hirst had been the Seasearch coordinator for announced by Scottish Ministers in March 2021 in order Scotland since 2016, but early in 2020 she moved a little to protect this site from marine activities pending further way south to England to lead Seasearch North East. With investigative work and data gathering. a bit of clever persuasion on Natalie's part, Seasearch Scotland has since been jointly coordinated by diver- photographer Paul Kay and marine biologist Iain Dixon. Due to the limitations on activities at various times as a result of the pandemic, the handover took slightly longer and with less fanfare perhaps than usual but is now complete. The long-serving Owen Paisley continues to oversee Seasearch activities on the west coast, but in 2020 was joined by Karen Boswarva who, in addition to being a massively keen marine biologist, has particular skills and facility with social media. Several organised dive trips were planned initially for the spring and summer of 2020, including trips to Wester Ross, Loch Fyne, Skye and Kinlochbervie. The latter two trips have now been further postponed to 2021. IRELAND Seasearch divers acting on their own initiative prior to Northern Ireland : the start of lockdown in March had already started a ® trickle of completed form submissions at the start of the In January 2020 the calendar for the year ahead was year. After restrictions were eased slightly in July, divers looking busy with 5 boat dive days, a sea squirt safari, were keen to get back in the water despite the lack of observer course, surveyor course and plenty of shore organised dive trips and this steady trickle was dives to look forward to, but unfortunately COVID 19 got continued. in the way and all Seasearch organised diving had to be cancelled. A lot of time and effort goes into planning a Seasearch annual programme, from securing funding to checking tide times to finding dates that suit boat charters/tutors (etc.!), and so, as coordinator, having to cancel was disappointing to say the least. But worst of all, was missing the craic with the Seasearch group and of course facing a year without gathering vital data from our marine environment. It soon became clear that those concerns were completely misplaced as the N.I. Seasearchers stepped up to the mark, teaming up to make 2020 one of the best © Karen Boswarva years yet! Thanks to the establishment of local WhatsApp Exciting sightings included the first records in Scotland of groups for organising informal shore dives and snorkels the dorid nudibranchs Doris ocelligera and Knoutsodonta (when COVID restrictions allowed), our Seasearchers pictoni (above). were regularly out exploring the seabed, taking photos 2 and submitting forms and in the end, we received our ISLE OF MAN highest number of forms for years! The Isle of Man appeared from the outside to be almost Three exciting species records were also made during unaffected by the pandemic in 2020, locking down early 2020: the nudibranch Hancockia uncinata (photo below) and maintaining strict control over arrivals. Local divers at Luke’s Point (a brand-new shore site for Seasearch this effectively had the island to themselves, and made the year). This was the first confirmed record for the Island most of it via ‘Staycation’ weeks organised by local dive of Ireland, with only 14 other records for this species in centre Discover Diving. the UK, predominantly from the south west coast of England and west coast of Scotland. © Phil Wilkinson Interesting sightings included curled octopus Eledone cirrhosa, spiny lobster/crawfish Palinurus elephas and to round-off the year nicely, a veritable orgy of seahares (Aplysia punctata). Surveys continued in the seagrass beds off Langness too, with more sightings of the topshell Jujubinus striatus. © Noel Black The good weather and weeknight shore diving meant more records from night dives, and we received a handful of sightings of John Dory Zeus faber. These are typically a warmer water species and so these records are important indicators for climate change. A night dive at Luke’s Point came up trumps again, where a lumpsucker Cyclopterus lumpus, most likely coming inshore to breed, was spotted. Kathryn Fowler, IOM Seasearch Surveyor said “Having dive holidays at home we have explored some new sites, and found some little gems to go back to. It's been nice to find something different on our doorstep.” © Johnny Hall 3 WALES A number of Seasearch divers managed to undertake independent dive and snorkel surveys at various locations around North Wales, continuing the collection South & West Wales ®: of marine habitat and species data to contribute to the During 2020, Seasearch activities in SW Wales were national knowledge base. Because of the issues of social reduced significantly. From late June some travel distancing and lack of charter boats operating, these restrictions were lifted which allowed for some local independent dives were all undertaken from the shore. independent exploring from the shore to happen, but While the number of forms received was much lower only a small number took to the waters. Many of the than in a more normal year, it is thanks to the enthusiasm Seasearch regulars to this region travel from other areas of the independent Seasearch divers and snorkellers that of Wales and England and there was a reluctance to do data collection activities were continued during the year. this. In Pembrokeshire, the two main shore diving sites are St Brides Haven and Martins Haven, these being close to parking and easily accessible to divers. A notable record in July was a massive aggregation of more than 100 spiny spider crabs Maja brachydactyla congregating for moulting at Martins Haven. Maja brachydactyla Blaise Bullimore The focus on shore diving meant that some of the surveys recorded the intertidal and sublittoral fringe at various sites, areas which are generally less commonly surveyed. The south coast of Gower consists of Carboniferous limestone cliffs with caves, sheltered inlets and huge expanses of flat sand. Seasearch completed extensive dives in the area in 1995, since then only a few survey dives have been completed and it is an area identified to revisit to get updated data. Particular excitement was therefore provided by a local resident Seasearcher exploring sites by snorkel along the Gower coast, many of which had not been previously surveyed.