Already cold and wet, zipping up my wetsuit for the third time that day at three am was not quite what I envisaged when my colleague Jason Birt suggested we hold a marine Bioblitz. However, the underwater sights that we encountered during the subsequent dive more than made up for such inconveniences. A popular way…
Over the last two years the Duchy Oyster Farm has farmed the non-native Pacific oyster on the beds of the Helford. Pacific oysters were introduced to the UK under licence in the 1970s and introduced to the Helford and Percuil rivers in 1974 in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries. Pacific oysters are…
Following a recent fascinating talk by Doug Herdson based on his knowledge and experience at the National Marine Aquarium, Plymouth, I have endeavoured to make an extract of his background information as requested, for people who missed this delightful talk. Relatively few people will have seen the exotic seahorse in its watery environment but the…
Cornwall Wildlife Trust has been campaigning for protection of our dolphin populations for many years and is happy to announce that it has recently received funding from the DEFRA Fisheries Challenge Fund, and an extremely successful public appeal to proceed with their pinger trial. Pingers are acoustic deterrent devices that emit a signal audible to dolphins that…
The year 2008/9 revealed several rare and interesting species in the ancient oak woodland and marshland on the periphery of the Helford Estuary. In September 2008, the strange fungus Claviceps purpurea var. spartina or Ergot, so-called because of its fruit/spore body, up to an inch long and resembling the spur on a cockerel’s foot (Fr. ergot = spur),…
In April 2011 the Sea Fisheries Committees (SFCs), many of which have been in existence since the end of the 19th Century, will be replaced by Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authorities (IFCAs). IFCAs will be set up under the provisions of the Marine Bill. The Association of SFCs has been pressing for updated legislation for…
Health Assessment for Eelgrass in the Helford The Eelgrass beds of the Helford are an important habitat within the estuary and are one of the finest examples of a healthy seagrass meadow in the south west. In April this year, a team of willing volunteers, headed by myself, drew up plans to conduct in-depth seasonal monitoring of…
Look closely at the Helford VMCA barnacles that encrust rocks, shells, lobster pots, moorings, boats, in fact almost any hard surface, and which are particularly obvious in the intertidal or mid-shore area. By far the commonest barnacle present is one with a cone formed from four plates and a diamondshaped opening, Elminius modestus, a relative newcomer…
Have you ever looked out to sea and wondered what lies beneath the silvery waves that play on its surface? Perhaps you have been rockpooling with a younger family member and found it frustrating not to know what type of seaweed you are clambering over or what species of crab is glaring at you from…
Seaquest Netsafe is all about cetaceans – dolphins, porpoises and whales – and how we can strive to protect them. We have elements of high technology combined with the dedication and time given by many local volunteers. The results of this project will provide us with a much clearer picture of what is really going…
Invasive species, alien species, non native species; it all sounds rather nasty? A bit like HG Wells’s apocalyptic novel detailing the Martians popping down for a bit of world domination. However, there are good and justified reasons why we should be concerned about the introduction of new and potentially damaging species to our native habitats….
The Helford River has long been known for the richness of its foreshores, that is the tidal area exposed between high and low water. With fully saline habitats ranging from muddy creeks to sandy bars and from low cliffs to exposed rocky reefs, the diversity of the marine wildlife is amazing and over the many…
The eelgrass awareness programme has moved on. The poster has been designed, printed and laminated. A copy is included in this newsletter and it can also be downloaded from the VMCA website. Over 20 posters have been distributed by members of the HVMCA to sailing clubs, marinas, post offices/ village stores, chandlers and tourist “hot…
In recent weeks, volunteers from the Helford Voluntary Marine Conservation Area have developed a plan to count waterbirds on the Helford as part of the Wetland Bird Survey (WeBS). Ilya Maclean, WeBS co-ordinator for Cornwall and local resident Martin Rule, explain why counting waterbirds is important, which waterbirds are found on the Helford and how…
30 August 2007
Out at sea, yachts were heeIing in a brisk wind. Onshore, all eyes were directed downwards as Ruth Williams explained the mysteries and delights of the Rosemullion rockpools to 9 persons (and a dog). It must he admitted, since it was our dog, that the latter was more interested in splashing than learning: and his curiosity to discover why we were staring quietly and intently into the water was of no help in persuading timid creatures to emerge from their hiding places.
17 February 2007
A detailed look at this watery world and how we influence it gave a large audience (67) much food for thought as the issues of pollution, clean seas, farming and recreation were highlighted. This followed recent studies by scientists from the Environment Agency, University of Exeter, and the Farming and Wildlife Group as described by Dr Peter Jonas, Dr Julian Greaves and Annabel Keast.
4th April 2008
Taking advantage of the extremely low tide and with dry, mild and slightly breci conditions, 40 persons, about half of them young children, assembled at Helford Passage to take part in the Seashore Safari run by Joana Doyle with two helpers from the Cornwall Wildlife Trust.
Monday, 18th April 2011
If shellfish, crabs and other marine creatures have an early warning system, it must have clicked on ‘Red Alert’ today as the Seashore Safari got underway. But to no avail. A horde of searchers, 30 adults and 45 children, with ages ranging from 2 to 80, was advancing over the rocks, armed with nets and buckets. There was little chance of any creature remaining undetected as sharp eyes and quick hands and nets probed the rock pools and watery gullies; and soon treasured finds were being placed in the buckets and carried to Ruth for identification.
19th March 2011 (following AGM)
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Photo by Colin Speedy[/caption]
Saturday, 26th February 2011
“You should clean your bottom every year”! Australians and New Zealanders are known for plain speaking, but this seemed unnecessarily rude. However, just to clarify, they were talking in this instance about the hull of your boat. The point was quickly driven home by an underwater film, taken in N.France, which showed a hull so thickly coated with weeds and invertebrates that it looked like a sagging roll of shaggy carpet. Boat fouling is a worldwide problem and marinas and harbours are important staging posts in the process, because hulls, piers and jetties provide numerous firm surfaces on which sessile plants and animals can gain a foothold.
