Campaigns
Want to know how you can help protect and prolong the longevity of our wonderful
marine environment? Join us or help with the following.
Fish Watch Saturday 28th & Sunday 29th June 2008
 Join the Dorset Wildlife Trust FISH WATCH survey at the Purbeck Marine Wildlife
Reserve, Kimmeridge. 100 divers / 1 weekend doing a ‘snapshot’ survey in the reserve.
Easy to ID species - Trigger fish, Rays, John Dory, Cuckoo wrasse, Seahorse and the rare Black-faced blenny. Marine wardens will be on hand to help with ID and other information.
Divers must organise their own dives - a boat dive through their club or a shore dive.
Dorset Wildlife Trust are not organising any dives. An underwater camera might be useful
for recording sightings but is not essential.
All dive clubs visiting Kimmeridge that weekend are welcome to join in. To register in
advance contact the Fine Foundation Marine Centre on 01929 481044 or email
kimmeridge@dorsetwildlife.co.uk with your name, club name and contact details.
Fish for our Future
Support our small scale sustainable fishermen by purchasing locally
sourced sea food and avoid beam trawled and high environmentally damaging
methods. Find out more by requesting your own Pocket Good Fish Guide
from the Marine Conservation Society or go to Fishonline.org.
When buying pre-packed fish, check for source of origin and fishing method used. Some methods are extremely damaging to the environment and may accidently catch non-target species. This wasteful 'by-catch' is often thrown back unwanted; dead or dying . Look out for
the Marine Stewardship Council's tick of approval to ensure the fish has come from well managed stocks with minimal damage to the environment. Check out the MSC's
website and find out where to buy sustainable
sea food. If your supermarket
does not stock sustainably sourced fish ask them why!
 SeaClean Project.
Recycle your monofilament fishing line to protect our marine wildlife. Find out more. Look out
for the recycling bins (below) in Swanage. Print
out your own leaflet.
 Join our Save our Seas (SoS) team and help us make waves!
There has never been a more important time to stand up for the UK’s
marine life. This year the Government will write wide-ranging new laws
(Marine Bill) to control how our seas are managed and protected. We
need your help to ensure that these laws provide a healthy future for
our seas and sea life.
As a member of the SoS team you’ll receive regular bulletins,
including:
- Email updates on the UK Marine Bill and other hot topics in marine
conservation.
- Tips and resources to help you get actively involved in our marine
campaigns and projects.
- Invitations to take part in major campaign events.
Marine
Bill Campaign
MCS Beachwatch
Help us turn the tide on litter. Come along to our quarterly beach cleans
at Kimmeridge and Worbarrow Bay. Dates of beachcleans are listed under
our events. Find out more on a national scale
from the Marine Conservation Society.
Blenny Friendly Crablines.
Help save our precious blennies, gobies and cling fish from barbed hooks
by changing to a net bag or purchasing one from the marine centre at
Kimmeridge. Alternatively, please send in your unwanted washing tablet
net bags for us to reuse and recycle! Find
out more.
 Mermaids Purses
Shark and skate egg cases commonly wash up uppn the strandline,
but which species do they belong to? Join us on our quest to record
all egg cases found to help monitor the numbers and locations of different
species through The Shark Trust.
Please let us know if you find any egg cases within the Purbeck Marine
WIldlife Reserve. Check out the new Egg
Case website!
 Balloon Releases
Balloons have a serious impact on wildlife! Animals often mistake
them for their food or become entangled in the lines and sadly starve
and die. In the marine environment turtles and dolphins typically mistake
balloons as jellyfish and the effects are deadly!
Natural rubber latex balloons listed as being biodegradable still pose
a threat! They may biodegrade quicker than other types but this still
takes several months or years to happen. This process is lengthened
once in the sea!
In 2006, over 300 balloons were found washed up within the Purbeck Marine
Wildlife Reserve - that's almost one found every day! Please take a look at the Marine
Conservation Society's website for further information and suggestions. |
