Jane Maddocks traces BSAC ’ s ever-evolving attitudes to conservation and the value of marine heritage
ENVIRONMENT
Taking it further
The Preservation Principle
Jane Maddocks traces BSAC ’ s ever-evolving attitudes to conservation and the value of marine heritage
As I have said before , ‘ environment ’ is an enormous word . When we discuss the underwater environment , we are talking about a vast system of physical , chemical , and biotic factors that create what we dive in and on , and all the opportunities for exploration that the sea offers .
For 70 years , the British Sub- Aqua Club has grown to the club we have today . Looking at the development of the club over that time just shows what a volunteer organisation at its best can achieve as it prepares new generations of divers to ‘ go about their business in the deep .’
70 years ago , Jacques Cousteau had recently co-developed the aqua-lung and would later go on to film the underwater world , discover shipwrecks , and push the boundaries of scientific understanding . Young , embryonic divers were watching the amazing films from Hans and Lotte Hass , showcasing exotic creatures and making the tantalising promise that diving in the sea was within reach of all of us .
In those early years , the big excitement – certainly in the UK – was wreck diving . Preservation was a strong motive , but not preservation as we now know it . In those early days you were not considered a diver
unless you had taken your very own piece of ‘ spidge ’, which then made it to the mantlepiece or the garage where it could be displayed or , most likely , forgotten .
We ate everything we shot with our spearguns , never going without our ‘ lobby hooks ’, in case we found a lobster hiding in a crevice , not just looking for our pot . Some of us even bought special boilers to cook them in . Then came a sea change . Dr David Bellamy , Dr Paul Cragg , and HRH the Prince of Wales , now our King . All had conservation in its true form firmly in their sights , and their interest and inspiration led to a rethink over many years . No-one who ever saw Paul Cragg demonstrating how a barnacle fed could ever forget it .
Amnesty and protection
Then came the Mary Rose . Few appreciate that of the 500 volunteer divers who supported that project , the majority were BSAC . A proud legacy that made many of us rethink the ‘ no dive without spidge ’ mantra . At the same time , the Protection of Wrecks Act 1973 ( yes , our 50th birthday too ) put our historic wrecks into the public eye as worthy of protection .
I believe strongly that wrecks provide
habitats and shelter for a huge range of species around our coast . However , they also attract so many to the sport as the focus of the diving wish-list . In 2000 , BSAC , PADI and SAA worked together to change the way we dive on wrecks , with the very first Wreck Amnesty led by the Receiver at the time , Veronica Robbins .
So , we had three major happenings over a period of several years .
■ The health of our seas and the creatures in them started to be important , not just taken for granted .
■ BSAC began to be invited to take part in major consultations about Marine Conservation Zones , and in-person consultations with Defra about rigorous evidence for seafloor and marine life needing protection around our coasts .
■ Wrecks were given some protection with Scheduled Monument legislation , which was not previously possible .
BSAC created courses in Marine Life Identification , wreck diving and recording , and went on to present petitions to Parliament about the urgent need for marine conservation areas . We also picked a lot of litter .
Today , 70 years after it all began , members are taking opportunities to do Skill Development Courses . They get together with specialist organisations as well as BSAC to do Seasearch Observer and Seasearch Recorder qualifications , seahorse awareness courses , collect seagrass , and locate and record native oysters .
We also work with the Marine Conservation Society and Surfers Against Sewage protecting water quality . Some of our divers are part of the Ghost Fishing UK team , others have gone on to become amazing maritime archaeologists .
There is so much more to do . Our underwater environment cannot be taken for granted . With improved diving techniques , incredible equipment , and the opportunity to set up projects and record changes in our surroundings , we shall continue to make a difference . Now for the next 70 years ... �
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