The Big Seaweed Search - helping out during lockdown

Here at MCS, we really appreciate all the help and support that our volunteers can give us. This year has been a bit different, but there are still ways that volunteers can help support our work. Sea Champion Sally tells us how she has been involved with validating data for the Big Seaweed Search.

Hi there! I’m Sally, a Sea Champion, (fair-weather) Seasearch diver and a marine biology placement year student working with the Marine Conservation Society and the Natural History Museum for the Big Seaweed Search project. (Yes, that is my seaweed-ing suit for anyone who’s wondering!)

So, a bit of background to me and why I get to tell you about the Big Seaweed Search. I became a member of the MCS in 2017 having spoken to volunteers at their stand at the ExCel dive show, but I only really got involved with MCS when I got to Plymouth University. There I met lots of brilliant and likeminded people, whereby I got roped in (in a good way) to become a Seasearch diver, something I had wanted to get into as soon as I moved down to the coast!

It was around that time that I met up with Jules, the (brilliant) Sea Champion coordinator for the South West, as she was recruiting Sea Champions to work with the University. As we were talking she mentioned the Big Seaweed Search project, something I hadn’t heard about before. Although not my primary focus of studies, seaweed is immensely interesting (well to me at least!), so I asked if there was anything I could do to get involved. Yes, was the short answer!

Jules set up a dialog between me and (the wonderful) Professor Juliet Brodie, who pretty much runs the project, to discuss what I could do to help out with it. Turns out they were looking for someone to volunteer and do some data analysis of the collected data from the past four years. To me this sounded like the perfect placement opportunity during this pandemic and a great way to improve my data skills, so I asked if I would be suitable? Well, I must have said something right as I’m now on the team and doing my placement with them!

“But Sally,” I hear you ask. “What is the Big Seaweed Search and how can I get involved?” The Big Seaweed Search is a citizen science project, so it relies on citizen scientists (that’s you!) to go out to the coast and take a survey of the seaweed that’s there. All the information can be found on the BSS website (http://bigseaweedsearch.org/), including a guide for how to run your survey, what 14 species of seaweed you will be looking out for and how to identify them. There’s also a printable recording form, so you don’t have to memorise every species you see.

My job now is to look through all the past surveys that have been done, making sure that the data entries are correct by verifying photos that are sent in with the survey. Then analysing the data against three environmental changes: sea temperature rise, ocean acidification and the spread of non-native species, to see if they are having an impact on our seaweed habitats.

This analysis will hopefully garner some interesting results that we hope will be able to be published in a paper. It will be a great show for all the hard work the surveyors have put into the project already!

If you’re a Sea Champion already, in the July E-Bulletin for the South West there’s an article about News, Feedback and a Data Request for the BSS, asking that if you have taken part in a survey before, check that you uploaded your photos, as this is the only way we (…well I) can verify the seaweeds that you’ve recorded!

If you’re now just really eager to get out to your local beach and do some citizen science (which I hope you are!), then all you need to do is go onto the Big Seaweed Search website (http://bigseaweedsearch.org/), download (and print) the guide and recording form, grab a pencil and your camera and/or smartphone, get down to the beach and have fun!

Happy recording everyone!

Sea Champions get into the Christmas Spirit!

Sea Champions Bryn Edwards, Katie Macer-Wright and Anelma Roberts got into the Christmas spirit at the weekend at the Christmas Fair in Ross-on-Wye, whilst Scottish Sea Champions braved the cold at the Christmas Fair in Edinburgh.

Sea Champions and MCS staff were delighted to meet so many friends of MCS, particularly the Christmas turkey who took part in Litter-Pick-Panic, the angel and Christmas presents that pledged for 127 Marine Conservation Zones, and the snowman and Christmas pudding who expressed real interest in joining MCS.

Sea Champions are planning to attend many more Christmas fairs throughout December, get in touch with your Volunteer Coordinator if you'd like to help out or attend a fair near you.

Turkeys, angels and Christmas puddings support MCS at the Christmas Fair in Ross-on-Wye!

Bournemouth University Green Week

Thanks to all who pledged for 127 MCZs at Bournemouth University Green Week last week!

 

Sea Champions across the country are playing a huge role in pumping up the number of pledges for 127 MCZs.  Sea Champion Poppy Wall gave up two days to run a stand at her university encouraging hundreds of people to pledge for 127 MCZs.

 

Anyone can take part in this activity - distributing pledge cards at universities, at your work place, to parents at your local school or to friends and family. It couldn't be simpler. Just get in touch with your Volunteer Coordinator who can supply you with pledge cards.

 

You can even spread the word online by sharing this link: www.mcsuk.org/mpa

 

 

 

The South Devon Crab Festival - back, bigger and better than ever before!

The Sea Champions team were joined by our Fisheries Program Manager Jim Masters at the weekend for the South Devon Crab Festival!

The team took part in this fantastic week of fun crabby events dedicated to the celebration of South Devon Brown Crab, one of the regions finest natural resources which is now recommended if taken from the South Devon Inshore Potting Agreement Area.

From street parties to crab throwing competitions (...no crabs hurt!) the week of activities centered around learning about their habitats and the importance of sustainability in fishing for them.

It was a perfect opportunity for the Sea Champions team to promote www.fishonline.org and distribute our Pocket Good Fish Guides as well as gather pledges for Marine Conservation Zones in England.

Clare, one of the event organisers pledging for Marine Conservation Zones at the South Devon Crab Festival

Sea Champion gets Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall to pledge for Marine Protection

Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall was on the beach yesterday filming for his new series of Fish Fight for Channel 4. From Thailand and the Phillipines to Antarctica, Hugh has been focussing on Marine Protected Areas all around the world.

Sea Champions showed their support when Hugh arrived at Weston-super-Mare yesterday. Whilst Hugh demonstrated the impact some trawlers can have on the sea floor, Sea Champions Katie Macer-Wright and Kirsty Lynham were on the beach gathering pledges for marine protection in England and distributing campaign materials. 

Hugh was asking the public to think about where their fish comes from, whilst our Sea Champions were distributing Pocket Good Fish Guides to the audience.

"It was an amazing day packed with visual impact, and lots of the kids loved it. It really helped the public see the destruction some fishing methods can cause and the need for MPAs" says Kirsty.

You can help stop this destruction by pledging for marine protection here.

Demonstrating the impact some trawlers can have on the sea floor.

Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall pledging for marine protection with Sea Champion Katie Macer-Wright

Tallulah laid how many eggs?!

Tallulah, our lifesize inflatable leatherback turtle, is becoming rather a celebrity! She is travelling far and wide accompanying our Sea Champions at events all over the country.

 She's a great talking point to introduce our turtle projects, and here’s a great idea to interact with people at your MCS stand - a competition to guess how many eggs Tallulah laid!

At 50p a go, not only did people learn a little about turtles, but £32 was raised at the recent Bristol Festival of Nature. Every penny counts to help save our seas!

The lucky winner was Daniel Jones from Wiltshire, who guessed just 3 eggs away from the overall total and won an Adopt-a-Turtle gift.

To run this competition at your event, all you need is a box full of ping pong balls which look very much like turtle eggs!

Oceans on a Plate!

Sea Champions Tammy Palmer and Clare Johnson attended the World Oceans Day event at Looe Monkey Sanctuary where they ran all sorts of kids activities to celebrate our oceans.  From 'Ocean's on a Plate' to marine quizzes, the kids were entertained whilst parents had the change to pledge for marine protection in our UK seas.

Sea Champion Tammy Palmer running kids activities for World Oceans Day!

Litter Pick Panic!

Brand new litter awareness activity ran by south west Sea Champions!

Sea Champions Tammy Palmer and Clare Johnson had lots of fun with the new educational game “Litter-Pick Panic!” It’s a great way to educate kids about litter, by recreating the Big-Beach Clean-up in a single paddling pool! All you need to make your beach is a paddling pool, some sand, a few pebbles and some clean and varied rubbish (...but please don’t remove these from a real beach!). After explaining the threats litter poses to marine wildlife, particularly plastics, give the kids 60 seconds to clear the rubbish, after which you can look at the types of rubbish and where they might have come from.

Are you thinking of manning your own MCS stand at an event? Why not run a “Litter-Pick Panic!" activity to attract people to your stand. Get in touch with your Volunteer Coordinator for support.

Any more ideas for children's activities to highlight our key themes of marine protection, sustainable fisheries and clean seas and beaches? Comment below to share your ideas with Sea Champions across the nation!

"Litter-Pick Panic" in action!