UKDIVING ENVIRONMENT
Protect Our Seas
News and views from the world of marine heritage and conservation
Plymouth - a marine Renaissance
Plymouth Sound – one of the most popular diving areas in the UK – is to receive a £ 9.5 million grant to establish a National Marine Park . The project will use National Lottery award money to create an estimated 464 jobs in 20 new enterprises . The scheme also aims to protect the area ’ s 1,000 marine species and help tackle the impact of climate change . The leader of Plymouth City Council Nick Kelly described the grant as “ a game changer for Plymouth ”.
He added : “ For too long Plymouth hasn ’ t fully embraced the sea and its waterfront - this funding means we can now put the sound right at the heart of our plans .”
The National Lottery Heritage
Horizon Award was set up in 2019 to “ support ambitious , innovative and transformational projects that will revolutionise UK heritage ”. The park will include a new Welcome Centre at the National Marine Aquarium , new accessible facilities and a project working with the Ocean Conservation Trust to study and explore how seagrass can function as a carbon store .
Tragedy reversed
The effectiveness of a mass litterpick was demonstrated by a team of 45 – including 20 divers – who removed 76 tonnes of debris from the sea , coastline and four beaches on the Greek Island of Ithaca . After local diver George Lilas shared photos of an abandoned fish farm wreaking environmental havoc on Ithaca , marine conservation organisation Healthy Seas teamed up with partners Ghost Diving and conservation group Enaleia , engaging volunteers , local authorities and sponsors . The fish farm had gone bankrupt in 2012 , leaving cages and other equipment that polluted the area . In September 2020 , a storm blew much of the equipment across the local area above and below the water line , including plastic pipes , fishing nets , nylon ropes and plastic buoys .
PHOTO : COR KUYVENHOVEN / GHOST DIVING
Lobster legislation
Boiling lobsters alive will be banned under plans being drawn up by the government .
Ministers are planning to strengthen the welfare rights of crustaceans and molluscs in the Animal Welfare ( Sentience ) Bill , which is currently making its way through the House of Lords . The Bill only covers vertebrates – animals with a backbone – but , after pressure from animal rights groups , the government is set to recognise that shellfish and cephalopod molluscs such as lobsters , crabs , octopuses , squid , cuttlefish and other invertebrates can also feel pain .
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