Jane Maddocks has more advice for ways to turn your club ’ s favourite wreck into an ongoing science project
ENVIRONMENT
Taking it further
Portrait of a shipwreck
Jane Maddocks has more advice for ways to turn your club ’ s favourite wreck into an ongoing science project
Recently , there has been a realisation by the authorities that shipwrecks are home to a substantial range of marine life species . As divers we knew this , and I suspect some of us were amazed that it had become a news story .
The challenge is that we do ‘ know ’ this , but the actual numerical and species evidence is just not there . Yes , we have videos , we have logbooks , and we have all those amazing posts on social media showing octopuses in the Western Approaches hiding under metal plates .
If we want to take this chance to contribute to an evidence-based assessment of how rich those species habitats we call wrecks can be , we need to be consistent with what we report and how we do it .
We have a lot of anecdotal evidence . Now , as BSAC divers , we have an opportunity to dive our favourite wrecks and start to record what marine life we find on those wrecks . It could be a great branch project .
Your branch ’ s favourite wreck could be dived several times in the year . During the dives , the members who love marine life but are not so keen on wreck dives , can record the life in various parts of the wreck . This could be developed by some additions to the normal visual and camera records .
Here ’ s how it could work : A water temperature check at each observation point , a species count , and a visibility
check could then be complemented by images and put into a simple database that suits the way your club works . You could even make your own Secchi dish using a 12- inch vinyl record , a ring bolt and thin line to confirm any changes in visibility .
If you love scientific instruments , get a simple water acidity meter for a few quid . Take water samples in little pots at your species recording points and , once back on the surface , see if there is any change in water acidity during the years as you continue to monitor your wrecky marine life habitat .
As recreational divers , we can carry out competent science ; we can dive for science , record results , and submit them to specific organisations for verification and entry onto a data base that will provide evidence for future work .
It helps if you have done our BSAC Marine Life Awareness course . Keep an eye out for our new Underwater Surveyor course that has been developed in partnership with Seawilding . You could also take the opportunity to start your Seasearch journey , investigate the Seahorse Trust , and look at how you could contribute your marine species findings to data recording giants like iNaturalist and iRecord .
[ As a personal aside , I try to avoid the term ‘ Citizen Science ’. To my mind , all science should be competent science , whoever does it . It is my opinion that sometimes career scientists use Citizen Science as shorthand for ‘ not very good science .’]
In the context of providing evidence of shipwrecks as supportive habitats for marine life , BSAC divers are capable of competent science , by which I mean identifying , recording , and reporting marine life to relevant organisations . I am currently starting to create a database that will allow us to record our findings in a way that we can contribute to more specialised projects . As always , BSAC members have offered help in creating something that we can use . It will take a bit of time because it needs to be robust . Until then I will be setting up a folder for each of my special wrecks , including :
■ Name and position of wreck-history of the wreck-length of time underwater
■ Date of dive ; number of marine life divers
■ Sketch or images or video of specific part of wreck
■ Tidal information
■ Water temperature
■ Water acidity sample results
■ Horizontal visibility ( with Secchi dish )
■ Specific area of wreck , e . g ., stern port quarter
■ Target species : ( count and condition for each of the target species on that part of the wreck )
■ Images of target species
■ Depth of sample
No-one goes home until the record sheets are filled in ! I then input it all onto my laptop .
PHOTO : SIMON ROGERSON
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