The State of Our Seas

The Wildlife Trusts have published their 2021 marine review, and alongside news of puffins and mussels returning, it reports significant disturbance to the UK’s marine life.

Human activity and climate change are creating a devastating impact on marine life around the United Kingdom. In Cornwall alone, more than 170 dolphins, whales, and porpoises have been stranded, often due to fishing injuries. We’ve even seen marine creatures from different climates; striped dolphins are commonly seen in the Mediterranean, but the Cornwall Wildlife Trust reported one stranded on a beach in February. In May, London was rapt by a minke whale calf swimming in the Thames.

The unusual behaviours of these creatures can be explained by “noise at sea caused by wind farms and other development,” said Daniele Clifford, a marine conservation officer for The Wildlife Trusts. This noise can cause dolphins and whales to head off course, while unsustainable fishing practices and lost or carelessly discarded fishing equipment cause unnecessary harm to marine creatures.

This is one example of negative human impact on marine life, but The Wildlife Trusts’ marine review isn’t all doom and gloom. Oysters that are native to UK waters are being re-established by The Wildlife Trusts. Volunteers are introducing the creatures to waters in Yorkshire, and are creating habitats for them to settle near Essex.

An exciting project to bring puffins back to the Isle of Man is underway, too, led by Manx Wildlife Trust. A pair of puffins were spotted on the island for the first time in 30 years, thanks to efforts to eradicate rats, and wardens have high hopes that more birds will be seen on the Isle of Man in 2022.

Climate change and human activity are still having a huge impact on UK coasts and marine habitats, but the need to protect these environments has been realised. The Trusts’ head of marine conservation, Lissa Batey explained that COP26, the United Nations Climate Change Conference, “really brought home the need to limit global temperature rises to a maximum of 1.5°C.” The world’s average surface temperature has already risen by 1°C since the Industrial Revolution in the 18th and 19th centuries, and at COP26, it was agreed that countries would limit this temperature increase to just 1.5°C.

While this sounds like a tiny temperature increase, it will have an enormous impact on life on Earth. At a global temperature increase of 1°C, we’ve seen glaciers and ice sheets melt, sea levels rise, and extreme weather has become increasingly common. Even at a 1.5°C temperature rise, the impacts on Earth will become much more severe. Earth will become subject to more frequent heatwaves, droughts, and floods.

To find out more about The Wildlife Trusts, their work to protect marine environments, and to read their 2021 marine review, visit their website.