There are also special features on COVID-19, the Benyon Review of Highly Protected Marine Areas, Smart Ports, 5 litre Challenge, and finding plastic via satellites.
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Here’s the latest news from the DMF:
Another heatwave on the horizon. Check out the latest Devon Maritime Forum newsletter…
This month’s newsletter features your usual roundup of local and national stories, key marine research and reports and information on consultations you can get involved with. There are also special features on COVID-19, the Benyon Review of Highly Protected Marine Areas, Smart Ports, 5 litre Challenge, and finding plastic via satellites. Read on to find out more…
Covid-19 News
‘More masks than jellyfish’: coronavirus waste ends up in ocean – A glut of discarded single-use masks and gloves is washing up on shorelines and littering the seabed more
Coronavirus updates for the seafood industry – COVID-19 is affecting our lives and businesses in ways none of us have ever experienced before more
Group to measure for coronavirus prevalence in waste water – New working group includes a range of water companies and experts across the UK more
Coronavirus: UK has legal duty to review air pollution targets, say lawyers – Letter cites growing evidence of link between dirty air and COVID-19 infections and deathsmore
(c) Paul Naylor
Review into Highly Protected Marine Areas
The Benyon review of Highly Protected Marine Areas was published on World Oceans Day (8th June) by an independent panel of members from academia, industry and conservation backgrounds and chaired by former MP and Fisheries Minister Richard Benyon.
Forty percent of England’s seas are designated as Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). However, the government’s Marine Strategy assessment shows that the environment is not in a healthy state. This Review asks whether areas with higher levels of protection can enable a greater recovery of the marine ecosystem.
This Review answers the following questions:
What are Highly Protected Marine Areas (HPMAs) and should they be part of marine management?
What opportunities and challenges do HPMAs create?
Exeter and Plymouth Universities play major role in a ground breaking project to create the UK’s first sea going, electric passenger vessel – A consortium of engineering experts and businesses from across the West Country are collaborating on the ground breaking project more
Exeter joins new European initiative to turn wastewater into valuable resource – Experts from both Exeter’s engineering department and the Business School will collaborate with researchers from across Europemore
Council tells people to stay off beach at Sidmouth after five cliff falls in one month – “The cliffs pose a very real danger – landslides are unpredictable events, occurring without warning, and can cause serious injury or death” more
Fish and Ships – integrating heritage with habitat surveys off the Isles of Scilly – Heritage consultancy Fjord Ltd worked with the Isles of Scilly Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority (IFCA) and marine ecologists from the University of Plymouthmore
Funding boost confirmed for Lower Otter Restoration Project – The Lower Otter Restoration Project has been awarded around £8.5 million as part of Project PACComore
Tidelines – our changing estuary
Tidelines is a new project working with citizens of the Exe estuary and bringing together arts, science, local knowledge and academic research in creative ways to learn more about our estuary home, how it works, what makes it unique and how it is changing.
Working with Exeter University and other partners in the region, local residents Anne-Marie Culhane and Jo Salter are designing a series of events which inform and inspire through talks, walks, discussions and participatory activities – creating spaces where researchers and members of the public can meet and work together to generate or co-develop research questions.
Demand for tap water has rocketed – use less and save more for everyone this summer.We have plenty of raw water stored but demand is rocketing and there’s only so much tap water we can treat and pump to your homes, schools and hospitals. Currently the high levels in demand is putting a strain on the network and unfortunately during peak times some customers are experiencing low pressure. We need your help to reduce demand and keep the network flowing for everyone.
Could you save 5 litres of tap water a day?
We can’t do it alone. We need everyone to play their part – small changes in water use make a big difference when multiplied by our 1.8 million customers. If every one of our customers saved 5 litres of tap water a day, that would save nearly 10 million litres. From quicker showers, changes in flushing habits to being smarter with water in the garden – whatever your lifestyle there are lots of simple things you can do to save water.
Visit the South West Water website for more information
National & International News
Five things you need to know about the state of the worlds fish – The UN’s #Sofia2020 report shows what works when it comes to fishing the oceans sustainabilitymore
How well can we predict the future Fish of the Day? – An international team of modellers and researchers have collaborated to find out how reliable projections of today’s fisheries forecasting models are in the North-East Atlanticmore
One billion people will live in insufferable heat within 50 years – Humans cost of climate crisis will hit harder and sooner than previously believed, research revealsmore
Latest rod licence figures show increase as restrictions lifted – Over quarter of a million fishing licenses sold after lockdown restrictions liftedmore
Blue spaces for healthy and resilient cities – Waterways like rivers, canals and coastlines are important assets for many cities. Waterways may be advantageous for tourism, trade or as a part of the cultural identity of a citymore
Observing marine wildlife safely – As the weather gets warmer and people begin to spend more time outside, there are opportunities to enjoy some of the amazing marine wildlife around the coastmore
Finding plastic patches in coastal waters using optical satellite data
Check out this video from Plymouth Marine Laboratory which describes the work involved with developing a new technique to detect aggregations of plastic on the Ocean using satellites.Visit the Plymouth Marine Laboratory website for more information
Oldest relative of ragworms and earthworms discovered (University of Exeter)
Good News Story
(c) Jermey Richards – Skipper
Deer rescued from sea by fisherman off Cornwall
A deer has been pulled from the sea off Cornwall by a passing fisherman.
The roe deer managed to get itself in to trouble about a mile off the shore of Porthleven.
Skipper Jeremy Richards, who said he believed the animal had fallen from nearby cliffs, came to the rescue when he spotted a seal slowly moving in on the bewildered animal more
Smart Ports – 9 of the most frequently asked questions
As digitalisation continues to develop and both ports and terminals consider additional ways to build flexibility and resilience into their operations, we have taken a closer look at some of the key questions that are rising in the industry, particularly with regard to technology.
