UKDIVING
Working together at the sample site
The all-important ‘ bag of science ’ valuable fish , and it protects the coastline from erosion . Of increasing relevance , it acts as a repository for blue carbon , organic carbon that is stored within marine habitats . However , as much as 92 % of seagrass beds are estimated to have been lost from the UK coastline over the last century , mostly through human disturbance , hence the need to assess the health and coverage to support recommendations for corrective action .
The annual seagrass survey here is possibly the longest annual seagrass survey in the world ( 1996-present ). Findings from the survey contribute to the UK ’ s legal requirement to assess this species in the Isles of Scilly Special Area of Conservation . A team of four volunteer divers and a boat skipper joined survey coordinators and divers Jim Bull and Emma Kenyon , who have led the survey for over a decade . The survey focusses on a species called common eelgrass , Zostera marina , which grows in shallow , sheltered sandy seabeds . The annual survey visits the same five sites to provide year-on-year comparisons .
Mooring up at coordinates specific to the chosen survey site , each buddy team is allocated a ‘ bag of science ’ comprising compass , 30-metre tape , a quadrat , scissors and a set of collection bags . Each collection bag has a compass bearing and distance , which were pre-generated from a
Beautiful lobster on Gilstone Reef
Diver and compass jellyfish
Small-spotted cat shark
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Stalked jellyfish on seagrass