Seahorse search in Salcombe

In the evening of Tuesday 20th July, the Seahorse Trust, in partnership with the Salcombe Harbour Authority, organised a dive survey of Scoble Basin within the Salcombe-Kingsbridge estuary for seahorses. The survey was organised as part of English Nature’s Local Nature Reserve (LNR) week 14th to 25th July 2004, the first ever national celebration of Local Nature Reserves, the aim of which is to raise the profile of LNRs by celebrating them during this period in July.

Local Nature Reserves represent a unique asset but one which is pretty well unsung and often under valued. They are unmatched in Europe in their management, numbers and location; that they serve multiple purposes for people and wildlife; that they are part of the local heritage, important for nature conservation, and serve other cultural and educational roles too.

Director of the Seahorse Trust, Neil Garrick-Maidment, said “It may be a surprise to some people that we even have seahorses in the UK but we have two species and they can both be found on the south coast of Devon and the South West. Unfortunately in this case, although the habitat was perfect and I am convinced that they are there, we failed to find any there. We need to know more about these enigmatic and unusual horses of the sea as they are a flagship species to the state of the environment“

“We are very grateful to the Totnes Sub Aqua Club divers for their time and help in carrying out the survey and also the Devon Wildlife Trust for the use of their boat, presently on loan to help with the Salcombe-Kingsbridge estuary underwater film project” said Nigel Mortimer, the Harbour Authority’s marine ecologist. “We are very much hoping that seahorses will feature in the film.”

“Salcombe’s seahorses are normally considered to be part of the eelgrass community but as a result of the British Seahorse Survey that has been running for 10 years we have discovered they occupy various habitats and at differing times of the year. Salcombe is unique because of its relatively sheltered locality and variety of habitats. By surveying the estuary we hope to know more and understand seahorses and in turn the estuary itself.“ says Neil.

“Our eelgrass beds are reckoned to be some of the largest beds within the South West” says Nigel, “but they are under some stress from boating activities. Salcombe Harbour Authority is currently looking at ways that we may be able to reduce this pressure through working together with boat and mooring owners. English Nature are currently considering the grant aiding of several experimental mooring systems, designed to reduce the scour of the seabed and thereby conserving the eelgrass beds and their seahorses. I know that conservation is frequently accused of being a killjoy but here we are simply looking to reduce the impact to a realistic minimum, not stop it - and besides, some people are overjoyed by the possibility of seeing a seahorse in their local estuary!”

Contacts for further details

Nigel Mortimer, Salcombe Harbour Office, Whitestrand, Salcombe TQ8 8BU, Tel: 01548 843791

Neil Garrick-Maidment, Director - The Seahorse Trust, Tel: 01392 875930, www.theseahorsetrust.co.uk