FINAL REPORT

Batten Bay Bioblitz 2014

This year’s Bioblitz was held in Batten Bay, . Surveying took place from 10am on Friday the 12th September until 2pm on Saturday the 13th September 2014. Over the course of the 24+ hours of the event, 11 timetabled, public-participation activities took place, including scientific surveys and guided walks. More than 450 people attended, including 200+ local school children, over 100 volunteer experts and enthusiasts, and 100 more families and members of the public. A total of 1027 were recorded. Introduction

A Bioblitz is a multidisciplinary survey of biodiversity in a set place at a set time. The main aim of the event is to collect a snapshot of species present in the area and ultimately, to raise public awareness of biodiversity.

Figure 1: Base Camp, Mount Batten Watersports & Activities Centre. (Images MBA)

Base camp (Figure 1) this year was located at the Mount Batten Watersports and Activities Centre; an excellent outdoor education centre. We were able to make use of three separate class rooms and a marquee, as well as of the adjacent car park. The overall running of the event benefited from the great flexibility and hospitality of our host.

The event was the sixth marine/coastal Bioblitz to be organised by the Marine Biological Association of the UK (MBA). This year the MBA worked in partnership with Plymouth University Marine Institute and South West Fish, both of which contributed with vital funding and support for the project overall. Funding was also provided by Aquanauts, Wild Nature Press and Mount Batten Centre, who kindly contributed rewards for a successful Crowdfunder project, thanks to many generous groups and individuals.

2 | P a g e Batten Bay Bioblitz 2014 – Final Report The Survey Area

The survey area (Figure 2) was located within the Plymouth Sound and Estuaries Special Area of Conservation (Natura 2000), including the Shore and Cliff SSSI (Sites of Special Scientific Interest) from Mount Batten Breakwater to Jennycliff. This designation is for the variation in geology and exposure, supporting typical rocky shore communities with good seaweed zonation and rich fauna, particularly that of under-boulders and overhangs. Species of the UK Biodiversity Action Plan (UK BAP) in the area expected to be found included the House Sparrow (Passer domesticus), the Pink Sea-fan (Eunicella verrucosa), and Lesser Horseshoe bat (Rhinolophus hipposideros). Care was taken not to undertake any operations likely to damage the special interest features of this site and permission was granted in advance from Natural .

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Figure 2: Map of the Survey Area.

4 | P a g e Batten Bay Bioblitz 2014 – Final Report Surveys and Base camp activities

Base camp was well equipped with microscopes, cameras linking up to a big TV screen, reference materials and interactive stands where experts had trays with specimens for examination and for the public to look at (Figure 3a, 3b). Thirty organisations and projects took part, including: Marine Photo, Wild Nature Press, Bug Life, Plymouth University Marine Institute, South West Peregrine Falcon Group, Bumblebee Conservation Trust, Sir Alister Hardy Foundation for Science (SAHFOS), A- P-H-O-T-O, Wilderness Woman, Devonshire Association, British Myriapod and Isopod Group and individual experts (Figure 3).

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Figure 3: Microscope linked to big screen (A). Members of the public exploring microscopic marine life (B). Paul Naylor (Marine Photo) engaging with the public about marine life (C). Species count updates board (D). Beach Rangers Interactive ‘Make a Rockpool Creature’ activity (D). Angela Carpenter (PU/PEGASEAS) running the ‘My Channel interactive Workshop (Images MBA) The car park area surrounding basecamp was used as a meeting point for activities and gazebo stands from Wildlife Trust, National Marine Aquarium, Shark Trust, Marine Conservation Society, Newquay College and Beach Rangers (Figure 3E). Stands offered arts, crafts and interactive games to explore and learn about wildlife. The South West Fish market stall (Figure 4B) was also present, where visitors could see and touch locally caught fish and where delicious sustainable mackerel baps, crab wraps and homemade pasties were being prepared to order for all.

5 | P a g e Batten Bay Bioblitz 2014 – Final Report Inside the centre, Marine Photo, SAHFOS, South West Peregrine Falcon Group, Plymouth University, APHOTO, Wilderness Woman and several other organisations displayed images, specimens and other interactive resources to engage schools and the public. The PEGASEAS team, funded by INTERREG IV ran an interactive stand, called My Channel (Figure 3F). The stand explored how people felt about the management of the English Channel and the results were used to contribute to the wider work of the project. Questionnaires were also undertaken in Basecamp as part of BNHC (Bristol Natural History Consortium’s) Beyond Biolblitz project The centre was also equipped with internet connection so the Data team from the MBA were able to upload new records, totals and photos live onto Facebook, Twitter and continuously tally the species count over the course of the two days (Figure 3d).

Many activities took place over the course of the weekend including scientific surveys, guided walks and self-guided activities run by scientists and experts from participating organisations and attending as individuals. Activities took place throughout the day and night exploring the local beaches, rockpools, meadows, coast paths and surrounding areas.

Work with schools

We welcomed over 200 local school children from Lipson Co-operative Academy, , Hooe Primary and Hyde Park Junior School. The pupils joined the experts on bug hunts, explored the strandline with Shark Trust, the National Marine Aquarium and Devon Wildlife Trust, and were invited to visit informative stands at basecamp (Figure 4). There was also the opportunity to experience and learn about scientific drawing with Marc Dando from Wild Nature Press, set up small mammal ink traps, handle a real preserved peregrine falcon with South West Peregrine Group, explore the secret life of Plankton with SAHFOS, and much more. After lunch, all 200 students gathered at Batten Bay beach for a mega seashore safari. By the end of the surveys, schools had contributed many species to the grand total, including Knot Grass ( rumicis), Broad-clawed Porcelain Crab (Porcellana platycheles) and Worm Pipefish (Nerophis lumbriciformis), and pupils had been amazed by finding a Clouded Yellow (Colias croceus) - a migrant butterfly seen coming in off the sea, and an enormous Great Green Bush cricket (Tettigonia viridissima)(c. 7cm). We are very pleased by the great feedback we received from the schools, both from the children and supporting staff.

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Figure 4: Bug Hunt (A) and South West Fish stand demonstrations of locally sourced fish (B) during the school visit. (Images MBA)

6 | P a g e Batten Bay Bioblitz 2014 – Final Report Public Surveys

The public surveys started with the ‘Seashore Safari’ led by the MBA and the National Marine Aquarium, who were joined by many volunteers and members of the public. New records for the area were found for common species such as the Montagui's stellate barnacle (Chthamalus montagui) recorded by Amelia Bridges and team, and the presence of well established non-native species was confirmed, such as the red algae Pom-Pom Weed (Caulacanthus okamurae) recorded by Esther Hughes and Jo Corke and Japonese kelp (AKA Wakame) (Undaria pinnatifida) recorded by Joseph Butler as part of a Wakame Watch Survey.

In the meantime, Team Fish led by Richard Ticehurst from Plymouth University Marine Institute and Douglas Herdson prepared for the Fish Survey that followed. Many helpers and watchers gathered, who were keen to see the experts use a seine net and to help sort through and identify the catch. Species recorded by Team Fish included Little Cuttlefish (Sepiola atlantica), a giant Common Spider Crab (Maja squinado), Common ’s Foot ( pespelecani), Phascolion strombus (Peanut Worm found in Tower Shell), Black Goby (Gobius niger), Ballan Wrasse (Labrus bergylta)and Sand Smelt (Atherina presbyter), which also resulted from a benthic invertebrate trawl off shore (Figure 5).

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Figure 5: Richard Ticehurst from Plymouth University Marine Institute with a rather large Common Spider Crab found by Team Fish (A, Image MBA). Phascolion strombus (Peanut Worm found in Tower Shell) (B, Image David Fenwick). Crowd gathered for the seine netting (C, Image MBA). Striped Red Mullet (Mullus surmuletus) (D, Images MBA)

At 5pm approximately 30 people gathered for the Botany and Bird Walk, led by Ambios. The group roamed along the coastal footpath and species reported included a Kingfisher (Alcedo atthis), Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus), the little Dunnock (Prunella modularis) and a Peacock Butterfly (Inachis io), among many others. (Figure 6)

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Figure 6: Botany and Bird Walk (A). Eristalis tenax on dandelion (Taraxacum agg.) (rB). (Images MBA)

As twilight approached, Marie Hawkins from Plymouth City Bats and Andrew Charles from Bluebell Ecology guided around a dozen people through the coastal foot paths up to Fort Stamford equipped with hand-held bat detectors and sharp vision on the lookout for terrestrial mammals, for the Twilight Nature Walk. Three species of bats, including Common and Soprano Pipistrelles (Pipistrellus pipistrellus sensu lato and Pipistrellus pygmaeus, respectively) and the Lesser Horseshoe Bat (Rhinolophus hipposideros) were detected. Other mammals recorded either through direct encounters or by tracks and signs included a Field Vole (Microtus agrestis), European Hedgehog (Erinaceus europaeus) and Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes) (Figure 7).

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Figure 7: Small European Hedgehog (A). Ink trap set up set up by school groups (B) (Images MBA)

The Twilight Walk was immediately followed by a Trap Walk, which aimed to showcase several humane wildlife trap techniques within the marine and terrestrial environments, with participants visiting a number of staged traps. The marine trap collected a number of planktonic species and several species of sea slater, the mammal traps however didn’t produce any results. The following

8 | P a g e Batten Bay Bioblitz 2014 – Final Report morning, the trap revealed local moth specialities - Scrobipalpa ocellatella and Epermenia aequidentellus (Figure 8).

The quietness of the night, was interrupted by the “Night time Rockpooling”, led by the Marine Biological Association. It also proved very popular with approximately 30 people attending despite a 2am start. A highlight was a recently stranded Common Squid (Loligo vulgaris) found in a rock pool by Amelia Bridges (Figure 8).

Early in the morning, Devon Birds and Bluebell Ecology set out for the Early Morning Bird Walk and the small group who gathered recorded several species including, a Razorbill (Alca torda) out at sea, four Ringed Plovers (Charadrius hiaticula) on the beach and a flock of Canada Geese (Branta Canadensis) flying by.

The Moth Trap Reveal session that followed by Paul Bowyer took place in conjunction with a Bug Hunt led by Buglife and Richard Comont from the Bumblebee Conservation Trust. Equipped with nets, tubs, sticks and magnifying glasses, the team was joined by approximately 25 people who all hunted for the mini-beasts hiding amongst the leaves and meadows around base camp.

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Figure 8: Light marine trap collection (A). Common Squid (Loligo vulgaris) found stranded during the Night time Rock pool (B). Moth Trap reveal (C). (Images MBA)

SAHFOS Team contributed more than 50 species of plankton new for the area, although nothing reported as unexpected. More than a dozen people attended the public Plankton Netting session on Saturday morning and a few more showed interest at basecamp. Other microscopic species worth highlighting are Tergipes tergipes (a sea slug) (Figure 12d), caught during the plankton survey and found on a piece of floating hydroid by Rob Camp. Also, a Protohydrid hydrozoan or hydromedusa Protohydra leuckarti (Figure 12a) was recorded in the mud in Hooe Lake by Colin Kilvington, which is a little known species and required staining overnight with EtOH and Rose Bengal for identification.

9 | P a g e Batten Bay Bioblitz 2014 – Final Report A public Coastal Plants Walk with David Fenwick and Phil Pullen and Dr Robert Hodgson from the Devonshire Association (Botanical Section) took place on Saturday. About a dozen people were guided through the flora on the banks opposite base camp to find many wildflowers, including Imperforate St John’s-wort (Hypericum maculatum). Although not many fungi were recorded throughout the event partially due to the unusually dry summer, during this walk a white rust on a Greater Sea-spurrey (Spergularia media), was confirmed to be a fungal gall Albugo lepigoni, which although it has been recorded in Plymouth before, records around the country seem to be few and far between.

The “Strandline and Shore Ramble”, led by the Marine Biological Association, Devon Wildlife Trust and Buglife was a great way to finish the public activities on Saturday (Figure 9). The turn-out was exceptional, with great public involvement and an exciting find reported by Andrew Whitehouse, from Buglife, the Eared treehopper Ledra aurita. According to the National Biodiversity Network, this could be a first record for Devon and a rare sighting for the South West. Finding this specimen in a rock pool is highly unusual so, after being identified, it was released away from the rock pools.

Figure9: Andrew Whitehouse from Buglife exploring the strandline (Image MBA)

Parallel to the timetabled activities, underwater surveys took place throughout the event, including a night time dive organised by Aquanauts, a morning dive led by Plymouth Sound Divers and Seasearch and a Snorkelling Safari run by Blue Sound (Figure 10). Even though visibility in the sound was found to be quite poor, amazing species such as Pink Sea Fans (Eunicella verrucosa) and a Thornback Ray (Raja clavata) were reported from the underwater activities. A 2h Ocean Vigil also took place on Saturday run by Kate Evans but no marine mammals was spotted. When not involved in timetabled activities, experts kept busy throughout the event by digging sandy and mud, sweeping for bugs and identifying species at basecamp.

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Figure10: Aquanauts evening dive team (A). Plymouth Sound BSAC morning dive team (B) (Images MBA)

Night time Rock pooling – by Kate Evans (MBA/LEMUR trainee)

“3am was the perfect time to go out exploring the rock pools during the MBA’s Batten Bay Bioblitz. The tide was low, the sky was pitch black and only the keenest and most dedicated rock-poolers took on the challenge!! After a safety briefing from the leader and MBA rocky shore expert, Jack Sewell, the approximate 30 attendees all donned their head torches and hi viz vests and marched down to the rocky shore in mass. Once on the beach we were all eager to work our way down the shore, lifting rocks, searching through seaweeds, looking under overhangs and in crevices, but before we could do this Jack stop us all and told us to listen. What we heard was the scraping and crunching sound of limpets making their way across the rocks grazing on the algae with the use of their radula. It was fantastic to listen to this, as it is an unfamiliar sound when rock pooling in the day time, due to the noise of other beach goers being the primary sound to fill our ears. We set off in groups of 3-4 covering a large expanse of rocky shore, taking even more care when clambering over the rocks and seaweed. One of the first things I noticed when peering into a pool: the hundreds of illuminated eyes staring back at me. These were the eyes of many shrimps, prawns, crabs and fish, all darting away when you try to scoop one up! The colour of everything is much more vibrant during the night; bright green algae, deep red algae and even iridescent algae. Every boulder you’d pick up resulted in an encounter with numerous scurrying crabs, big and small. One of the best finds during the night time rock pool session was a very large sea scorpion fish, with a large head, spines down its flanks and a bright green belly – a great find!! I crawled into bed a little after 4am with feelings of delight after my experience of night time rock pooling, which only confirmed my passion and interest in the marine environment. I woke up a few hours later only to find out that moments after I left the rocky shore a recently stranded common squid (Loligo vulgaris) was found! I was disappointed to have missed it but what a fascinating find and a great species to add to the Bioblitz list. I would say to anyone, rocky shore experts or someone who isn’t interested in rock pooling, they must try a night time rock pooling session, it’s an experience you won’t forget easily!”

Snorkel Safari – by Emily Miles (MBA/LEMUR trainee)

“Bright and early on the Saturday morning, a keen group of volunteers met at Batten Bay beach. Organised by the Blue Sound Project (MBA) and led on the day by John Hepburn (Mewstone Enterprises) the group hoped to contribute to the overall species list by recording what was living below the waves in the shallows of Batten Bay. Following a safety briefing, the group took to the water in buddy pairs at 9am, each equipped with an underwater camera to record what they saw. With this they were under the watchful eye of safety cover on the shore and circling the group in a kayak.

11 | P a g e Batten Bay Bioblitz 2014 – Final Report The snorkel lasted about an hour exploring the rocks and shallows of Batten Bay. Although visibility was poor and there was some swell, there was still a lot to see hiding nearer the seabed. Duck diving below the surface to look under rocks and through seaweed allowed a closer look at what was hiding there to take photos. Many snorkelers could also shout to the shore covers to write down anything of note seen in the water that couldn’t be photographed. When the cold began to set in, the snorkel pairs began emerging from the water. After drying off and warming up with hot drinks, the photos were then taken back to basecamp to be uploaded to the computer ready for identification. Once identified and confirmed, the species could be entered into the overall species database for the bioblitz. Among a number of fish, invertebrate and seaweed species recorded on the snorkel, one new seaweed species, Creeping Chain weed (Catenella caespitosa), was identified to be added the species list which was a fantastic result!”

Results

The event began with an ambitious target total of 1000 species. This number has been successfully met with the total species found during the 24 hours being 1027. It has been pointed out by many experts that the unusually dry conditions for the area and time of year drove land invertebrates to bury deeper into the ground and significantly affected terrestrial plants and fungi. This together with the urban setting dominating the survey area were considered as significant factors that could potentially affect the total number of species recorded. Although this hasn’t surpassed last year’s total of 1142 species, it is nonetheless an extraordinary result. By the end of the 24+ hours of the event, 788 species were processed by our Data team. This number was used to determine the winner of the ‘Guess the number of species’ competition, won by Christine Carol, from Ambios (Figure 11). The prize was a limited edition windbreaker jacket, kindly provided by the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES).

Figure 11: Christine Carol from Ambios after winning the ICES competition “Guess the number of species” (Images MBA)

Of the species recorded, 316 were new records for the area (SX45), often common species overlooked by recorders like the House Spider (Tegenaria duellica) and the Common Wasp (Vespula

12 | P a g e Batten Bay Bioblitz 2014 – Final Report (Paravespula) vulgaris). The species list also includes a number of non-native species that seem to be well established in the area. The data has been processed and verified and will be archived in DASSH (The Data Archive for Seabed Species and Habitats). It will also be passed to local record centres and the NBN (National Biodiversity Network). Some highlights are given below. Highlights

 Protohydra leuckarti (A Protohydrid hydrozoan or hydromedusa) recorded in the mud in Hooe Lake by Colin Kilvington (Figure 12a).  Dwarf Elder (Sambucus ebulus) found by Colin Kilvington near the hedge at Jennycliff Café (Figure 12b).  Little cuttlefish (Sepiola atlantica) found by Team Fish and Douglas Herdson (Figure 12c).  The house spider - Tegenaria duellica – a new record for the area, seen scuttling over the carpet in the Mountbatten centre during the early hours as the Data Team were busy entering records! Spotted by Jo Ziemann. In fact recorders found quite a few other common species that have previously not been recorded in the 1km grid square… This is because they are so common that people don’t think they need to be recorded! But they are important none-the-less, especially since quite a few of our ‘common’ species are in decline.  The Common Wasp – another new record for the area - Vespula (Paravespula) vulgaris found by Richard Comont.  Young Kingfisher (Alcedo atthis) on the rocky shore fishing for prawns early Saturday morning.  The spread of a non-native species of red algae was found to have taken over quite a bit of the rocky intertidal at Batten Bay – this is Caulacanthus okamurae (Pom-Pom Weed) – recorded by Esther Hughes and Jo Corke.  Approximately 50 species of plankton new for the area found by the SAHFOS team (Gemma Brice, Dave Conway and Rob Camp and co.).  Chthamalus montagui - Montagui's stellate barnacle – found by Amelia Bridges and team (another new record for the area!).  Stinging nettle (Urtica dioica) as first Bioblitz record growing out of Jack’s Car.

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13 | P a g e Batten Bay Bioblitz 2014 – Final Report Figure 12: Protohydra leuckarti (A) and Dwarf Elder (Sambucus ebulus) (B) (Images David Fenwick). Little Cuttlefish (Sepiola atlantica) (C) and Tergipes tergipes sea slug (D)(Images MBA)

Highlights from Richard Comont – Bumblebee Conservation Trust

- Strigamia maritima - a centipede, characteristic of the high tide mark (it probably occurs pretty much all the way round the UK, but in a band only a few metres wide!) - Ligia oceanica - the biggest woodlouse in Britain, reaching 3-4cm long (again, a very coastal species) - Platyarthrus hoffmannseggii - a tiny white woodlouse, found exclusively in ant nests where it seems to pretend to be an ant pupa - Roncocreagris cambridgei - a pseudoscorpion. Pseudoscorpions are cool - Dicranopalpus ramosus - a big stripy harvestman, originally from the Mediterranean but new to Britain in Bournemouth in 1950 - 9 species of ladybird! Including the invasive Harlequin ladybird as well as the much scarcer Cream-streaked ladybird and the fairly rare Heather ladybird - Clouded Yellow - a migrant butterfly, seen coming in off the sea - Dusky Cockroach - one of our three native species, and no reflection on the site hygiene! Fairly scarce, and mainly found on heathland - Ivy bee (Colletes hederae) - the latest-flying bee in Britain! Feeding almost exclusively on ivy, it was only recognised as a species in 1993 and turned up in Britain in 2001, since spreading rapidly - Great Green bush cricket - amazed the school groups by being enormous (c. 7cm)

Richard Comont said: “In general, terrestrial invert numbers/sp richness was lower than it probably should have been for the site - the very dry summer has driven a lot of the ground-level inverts deeper into the soil to find moisture, or even into aestivation. There was a noticeable absence of carabids & myriapods underneath rocks, etc, because of this (possibly also suffered from the lack of damp woodland this year, where they'd have been more abundant/apparent). Overall I thought it was great though - lots of interesting things and nice to revisit my old haunts a decade on!”

David Fenwick (A-P-H-O-T-O Wildlife Images) said: “The most significant thing for me was the amount of material that had been collected and taken to basecamp for further examination, there were some quite significant finds, and I managed to add over nine species to APHOTOMARINE. Previous bioblitz's I'd only add 2-3, such was the greater opportunity for photography this time. A great blitz for me.”

Volunteer Participation

More than 100 volunteers helped out over the course of the event as groups or as individuals and without their valued support and enthusiasm the event would not have been possible. Volunteers took part in and led surveys and helped with the general running of the event including the organisation and setting up before and after the event, manning the base camp throughout the day and night and assisting in all activities. To them we reserve a very special thank you with hope to see you all again at the next event.

14 | P a g e Batten Bay Bioblitz 2014 – Final Report Thanks and Acknowledgements

We would like to thank all of the individual volunteers who helped out with the organisation, planning and setting up for the event. We would like to also thank the Mount Batten Watersports and Activities Centre for their support, partnership and for allowing us to use their facilities over the course of the event. A very special thank you goes to the organisations, scientists and individuals who came along and supported the event and dedicated their time to lead various activities and give their expert advice. A huge thank you to our funders: Plymouth University Marine Institute, South West Fish, Aquanauts, Mount Batten Centre, Wild Nature Press and all individuals who supported us through Crowdfunder. In particular, we would like to thank Andrew Jinman for working so hard to help us bring the Crowdfunder project together.

Finally, we would like to thank the Herald for covering the school’s visit on Friday for inclusion in their issue on the 21th September 2014 (http://www.plymouthherald.co.uk/Pupils-wild-BioBlitz- event/story-22958982-detail/story.html)

List of participating and supporting partner organisations and projects

Funders

 Plymouth University Marine Institute

 South West Fish

 Mount Batten Watersports and Activities Centre

 Aquanauts

 Wild Nature Press

 Individual Crowdfunder Funders (See our campaign here)

 International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES)

Participating organisations and projects:

 Ambios

 A-P-H-O-T-O WILDLIFE IMAGE LIBRARIES

 Aquanauts

 Bluebell Ecology

 Blue Sound Project

 Buglife

 Coastwise

 DASSH (The Data Archive for Seabed Species and Habitats)

15 | P a g e Batten Bay Bioblitz 2014 – Final Report  Devon Birds

 Devonshire Association

 Devon Wildlife Trust

 Exeter University

 International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES)

 Marine Biological Association

 Marine Conservation Society

 Mount Batten Watersports and Activities Centre

 National Biodiversity Network

 National Marine Aquarium

 Pegaseas/ INTERREG IV

 Plymouth City Bats (Devon Bats)

 Plymouth Marine Laboratory

 Plymouth Sound BSAC

 Plymouth University Marine Institute

 SAHFOS

 Sea Search

 Sea Watch Foundation

 Shark Trust

 Shore Thing

 South West Fish

 South West Peregrine Group

 Stepping Stones to nature – Plymouth City Council

 Wakame Watch

 Wilderness Woman

 Wild Nature Press

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