SKOMER MARINE NATURE RESERVE REPORT 2002 PHILIP NEWMAN KATE LOCK SKOMER M.N.R. OFFICERS APRIL 2003 SKOMER MARINE NATURE RESERVE REPORT 2002 CONTENTS 1 Introduction and Foreword 1 2 Staff 2 3 Estate 5 4 Management 12 5 Visitors and use of MNR 16 6 Liaison and Advisory Committee 23 7 Science 27 8 Education and Interpretation 37 9 Acknowledgements 40 Appendices: 1 Abbreviations 41 2 Seal pupping data, MNR mainland, combined data and Skomer Island report synopsis 42 3 Skomer MNR Visitor Centre Numbers 2002 44 4 Seawater Temperature Logger Results 2001 45 5 Skomer MNR Science Report Synopses 46 6 Media articles 49 7 Seal watching leaflet 51 8 SWSFC/CCW scallop byelaw poster 54 SYNOPSIS This is the Skomer Marine Nature Reserve Annual Report to its Advisory Committee. The Advisory Committee is made up of organisations and individuals with an interest in the area covered by the MNR. The report summarises all aspects of the work of the MNR including a breakdown of staff fieldwork time, estate work, recreational use of the reserve, incidents, liaison, wardening, patrol, monitoring and research. Also included are results of some monitoring projects and summaries of published reports. CRYNODEB Dyma Adroddiad Blynyddol Gwarchodfa Natur Forol Sgomer (GNFS) i’w Phwyllgor Ymgynghorol. Mae’r Pwyllgor Ymgynghorol yn cynnwys sefydliadau ac unigolion sydd â diddordeb yn yr ardal y mae GNFS yn ymdrin â hi. Fe fydd yr adroddiad yn crynhoi pob agwedd ar waith GNFS, gan gynnwys dadansoddiad o amser gwaith maes y staff, gwaith stad, y defnydd a wneir o’r warchodfa wrth hamddena, digwyddiadau, gwaith cydgysylltu, wardenio, patrolio, monitro a gwaith ymchwil. Hefyd, mae canlyniadau rhai prosiectau monitro a rhai o grynodebau adroddiadau sydd wedi eu cyhoeddi, wedi eu cynnwys yma. SKOMER MNR ANNUAL REPORT 2002 1 INTRODUCTION AND FOREWORD This report covers the period 1 April 2002 to 31 March 2003, in line with other reporting requirements within CCW. I am glad to be able to report many positive developments for the MNR in 2002. Foremost amongst these is the increased staff complement for the MNR in 2002, which has given us the opportunity not only to complete most of the planned monitoring fieldwork, but to expand upon some projects where this was necessary to give us a better picture of what the “health” of the Reserve is like. This is reflected in the increases in diving effort, particularly for biological projects, and sea time recorded, as well as the times for individual projects. Of course there is little point in having data from fieldwork if it is not analysed and interpreted and this has been another benefit of extending the seasonal post into the winter months to be able to take up some of the administrative work that Kate is unable to do in her 3-day week and also to provide help in the data analysis and write-up. The importance of being able to produce reports and present results has been underlined by the interest taken in the MNR’s monitoring programme, both by academics and other conservation agency departments during 2002. The main theme of comments has been “We had no idea you did so much at the MNR”. To build upon this interest the MNR intends to take full advantage of proposals by CCW’s web-site manager to make electronic copies of reports available via the internet. We have also been helped by the huge improvement in the IT infrastructure at Fisherman’s Cottage. Faster computers, better networking between them and even internet access have made life much more efficient in the last few weeks. Perhaps I’m tempting fate by saying it but Skalmey has functioned well with over 750 hours on the engine and the waterjet is in very good condition according to the engineer from Hamilton. For the coming season we have two full-time and one part-time staff at the moment with assurances that a seasonal assistant will be recruited. With this we hope to continue to demonstrate the high output of work that we have shown over the last year or so. Of course we still depend on our volunteers, both individuals and the diving teams and we plan to harness their enthusiasm this year to help us estimate the population of sea urchins and certain species of starfish in the MNR. I hope you enjoy the rather more colourful report this year and bear with us if you come across some of the page formatting difficulties we have had – blame it on the new technology! Phil Newman Skomer MNR Officer 1 SKOMER MNR ANNUAL REPORT 2002 2 STAFF 2.1 STAFFING In 2002 the MNR fared much better for staff with the continuation of short- term contracts and the recruitment of a seasonal assistant. The two permanent staff, Phil Newman (PN) as Skomer MNR Officer and Kate Lock (KL) as Assistant Marine Conservation Officer, remain in post, but KL decided to go part-time (three days per week) from April 2002. Mark Burton (MB) stays with the team as Assistant Marine Conservation Officer (full-time) currently on a fixed term contract until April 2004. Louise Squire (now Luddington) joined the team as seasonal assistant in April 2002. Her contract was extended until Christmas 2002 to provide help in data analysis and report writing. The overall effect of these changes was to allow the MNR team to field a 4-person field team on three days of the week and to have three members of staff available to carry out Sunday and Bank Holiday weekend patrols on a rota basis. The MNR team was also supplemented by local CCW staff; Blaise Bullimore (BB), who continues as Senior Marine Conservation Officer (West Wales) and is the professional lead within CCW for the MNR, and Mike Camplin, Marine Conservation Officer (West Wales). BB and MC have been unable this year to support much MNR fieldwork because of other commitments, but have had significant input (particularly MC) into the development of methods and analysis of results. Claire Walker, Marine SSSI officer based at Haverfordwest, also helped out at weekends on a voluntary basis. CCW HQ marine staff also visited Pembrokeshire and took part in MNR projects during June, although their 4-day visit was interrupted by bad weather. Other valuable contributions to the work of the MNR have been made by: - Steve Myatt, a highly trained local diving volunteer, who is a member of the local Fire Brigade diving team and is a student at Pembrokeshire College. - Honorary Wardens, who continue to open the MNR exhibition when MNR staff are not at Martins Haven, and help in recording visitor numbers, disturbance incidents, infringements of MNR code of conduct and contribute to various aspects of species recording, - Miles Bettridge and Lee Watt, students from Pembrokeshire College who carried out observations of disturbance to seals during the pupping season in 2002. - A team of volunteers made up of John Archer Thompson, Jon Moore, Bruce and Jen Jones and Dawn Wilde, who helped MNR staff conduct the sea slug survey. - Nick Jeremy, who helped with voluntary diving assistance. - Our faithful teams of volunteer divers who carried out not only a repeat of the territorial fish survey, but helped with the second 5-yearly monitoring survey of the North Haven eel grass bed on behalf of the MNR. Although the cost in terms of MNR staff time to supervise, organise and design projects to suit volunteers has been considerable the effort is considered worthwhile, not just in terms of being able to accumulate far more data than we could ever hope to by using MNR staff alone, 2 SKOMER MNR ANNUAL REPORT 2002 but as a very important tool in fostering understanding and support for the work of the MNR and CCW with recreational divers, who form one of the MNR’s larger user groups. We are also continuing our efforts to increase the participation of university students by circulating lists to university departments outside Wales of potential projects that would tie into the Management Plan and have had several positive responses to this. 2.2 HONORARY AND VOLUNTARY WARDENS The following continue to serve as Honorary Wardens (HW): - Lana Bullimore - Sue Burton (formerly Gilbert ) - Nic Davies, skipper Mizpah (M162) - Brian Dilly - Kenny Gainfort, Skipper Dale Princess - Jane Hodges, PCNP - Ivor Johnson, Old Mill Diving Centre - Bruce Jones, BS-AC - Steve Lewis - James Perrins - Mike Trew, Brian Martin and Lionel Jewell, Martin’s Haven National Trust car park attendants. - Carl Wonnacot, crew Dale Princess 2.3 TRAINING Skomer MNR staff underwent marine operational safety training prior to the 2002 field seasons. Other West Area marine staff and MNR diving volunteers also attended the safety training, which included familiarisation with MNR safety procedures and equipment, oxygen administration and emergency "scenarios" set by the trainers from West Wales Diving School. PN attended an oil pollution training event in Cardigan in July. LL completed a first aid refresher course in accordance with HSE diving requirements. KL completed the RYA Advanced Powerboat course in July. PN, KL and MB attended training on CCW’s Intranet system. PN and MB attended a PRIMER statistics course at Plymouth Marine Laboratories in February 2003. 3 SKOMER MNR ANNUAL REPORT 2002 PN has continued with Welsh lessons. 2.4 HEALTH AND SAFETY The MNR Safety Document continues to be kept updated with first aid assessments being carried out and a visit from a contractor to carry out a fire risk assessment for the MNR office. Diving Project Plans, required under the HSC Agreed Code of Practice (ACoP) for Scientific and Archaeological Diving Projects continue to be prepared for each diving project.