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Celebration to spotlight magical and mysterious wildlife of UK seas

© Dan Bolt

Young people urged to protect seas & shores in National Marine Week

From honeycomb worms to solar powered sea slugs, this summer’s National Marine Week from The Wildlife Trusts will shine a light on some of the lesser-known creatures and plants found in UK seas. 

The annual seaside celebration aims to inspire a new generation of marine conservationists and volunteers through rock pool rambles, snorkel trails, beach cleans and other events that help nature, around the British Isles. National Marine Week takes place from Saturday 22nd July to Sunday 6th August – spanning a fortnight due to varying tidal conditions around the UK. 

UK seas are home to over 330 species of fish, 28 cetaceans, seagrasses, seaweeds and living reefs. The marine environment is also under huge pressure from damaging fishing practices, development at sea and pollution from farming, sewage and plastic.

© Dan Bolt

Solar powered sea slug

© Dan Bolt

Lissa Batey, head of marine conservation at The Wildlife Trusts, says: 

“From sun stars to seagrass meadows, our seas are awash with fascinating creatures, habitats, and plants. This year’s National Marine Week reminds us of the great diversity around our shores and why it is so important we look after our seas for people, wildlife and climate. 

“We are encouraging young people to join events and find out more about the work being done to protect our shores and seas. From backing campaigns to beach cleans, there are so many ways to get involved. 

“It is critical that at least 30% of UK seas are given the highest level of environmental protection by the end of this decade. Doing this will help wildlife recover with enormous benefits for fishing, as well as ensuring vast amounts of carbon remains stored in natural habitats such as sand, mud, and seagrass. Better protections for our seas will mean more wildlife, and that helps everyone.” 

© Alexander Mustard 2020Vision

Cuttlefish © Alexander Mustard 2020Vision

This year, young marine conservationists working and volunteering with The Wildlife Trusts are taking over the charities’ social media channels to shine a light on diverse wildlife in UK seas and projects that are helping to protect nature on our shores.  

Some of the lesser-known species found in UK seas include: 

  • Brittlestars: Related to starfish with five long, flexible arms. Brittle in name, brittle in nature, they shed parts of their arms if they are disturbed or threatened. Brittlestars are found around the UK in rook pools and down to 85 metres deep. They gather in groups, with numbers of 2,000 recorded per square metre. 

  • Risso’s dolphin: Found in deep offshore waters, they are whiter than other dolphins with large, blunt heads and stocky bodies. The scratches on their bodies are the result of rough behaviour from fighting and catching prey. 

  • Undulate ray: A species of skate that buries itself in sand and mud up to depths of 200 metres, though more commonly found in shallower waters. They can live for more than 20 years. 

  • Sea hare: A marine snail that looks like a sea slug but has an internal shell. They can be found in shallow waters and rockpools and, like sea slugs, are hermaphrodites with an individual acting as both male and female. Sea hares feed on seaweed, which is thought to determine its colour. Green sea hares eat green seaweed and maroon sea hares eat red seaweed.  

  • Gannets: The largest of our sea birds with a six-foot wingspan, a creamy-yellow head and a long dagger-like bill. They can be seen circling in groups above the sea looking for fish before plummeting head-first into the water. 

© Julie Hatcher

Sea hare

© Julie Hatcher

As an island nation, the UK has 17,800 km of windswept coastlines that are never more than 80 miles from any location. National Marine Week events include: 

  • Marine science workshops with Yorkshire Wildlife Trust – shore safaris and beach cleans will help you learn more about wildlife along Yorkshire’s coast. 

  • Night-time rock pooling with Devon Wildlife Trust – join experts for a guided rockpool safari on Wembury Beach to see what wildlife gets up to after dark. 

  • Seagrass festival with Cornwall Wildlife Trust – join marine experts at the stunning St Mount’s Bay for a celebration of all things seagrass. 

  • Shoresearch with Somerset Wildlife Trust – help experts to survey intertidal habitats along the Somerset coast with sampling kits, survey sheets and identification guides. 

  • 60 marine activities with North Wales Wildlife Trust – join marine-themed events and volunteering opportunities as part of the Trust’s 60th anniversary celebrations. 

  • Family sand exploring with Northumberland Wildlife Trust – get up close with magnifiers and microscopes to learn about wildlife on England’s windswept beaches. 

Hannah Stitfall, wildlife presenter, photographer and ambassador for The Wildlife Trusts, says: “Every visit to the coast is special and I’m constantly blown away by wildlife around our shores.  I love getting my camera out to capture seabirds nesting on cliffs or dolphins gliding through the waves on the horizon. This year’s National Marine Week is jam-packed with amazing events and I hope people right across the country will take part. We really need more people to get involved in marine conservation to protect and restore our seas.”

A full list of events and volunteering activities is available on The Wildlife Trusts’ website. To find out more, visit wildlifetrusts.org/national-marine-week 

Details of other less well-known marine wildlife can be found in the editor’s notes below. 

Editor’s notes

Lesser-known species in UK seas: 

  • Corkwing Wrasse (Symphodus melops) – a striking, iconic fish found in rocky reefs around the UK. Its cheeks are bright turquoise with a dark blotch in the shape of a comma behind each eye.   The bluey-green males, with pink blotches, are devoted to building nests using up to 10 species of seaweed. Females also have blotches of colour though are usually a paler brown. 

  • Common cuttlefish (Sepia officinalis) – related to squids and octopuses, common cuttlefish are found around the UK, more commonly on the south and west coasts. They can grow up to 45cm and live up to two years. They use their ability to change colour quickly to avoid predators and to attract a mate. 

  • Sun star (Crossaster papposus) –  one of thirty species of star fish in the UK. They can have up to twenty fingers and absorb oxygen from the water through their bodies. People should never touch a sun star as it can lead to suffocation.   

  • Star ascidian (Botryllus schloserri) – eye-catching and astonishing creatures that group together and look like a collection of pressed flowers.  It takes 3-12 individuals to produce one of the star-shaped patterns. Colonies are found on the underside of rocks in rockpools or sometimes on kelp fronds. 

  • Green leaf worm (Eulalia spp.) – an unmistakeable bright green worm that is divided into 200 segments. It has five antenna in front of two red eyes. They grow up to 15cm long and 2.5cm wide and can often be found under rocks at low tide. 

  • Shore clingfish (Lepadogaster purpurea) – a rockpool regular, the shore clingfish is a bizarre creature that looks like several other species stuck together. It has a mouth like a duck-billed platypus and its pelvic fin is modified into a sucker so it can stick to rocks. They are reddish/brown with turquoise eye spots on the top of the head. It also has large tentacles in front of each nostril. 

  • Lightbulb sea squirt (Clavelina lepadiformis) – beginning life as tadpole-like larvae, sea squirts eventually live permanently attached rocks. Once settled, they digest their own bodies before metamorphosising into adults. They are barrel shaped a hole at each end for taking in and pushing out water.  

  • Common cockle (Cerastoderma edule) – they live on muddy and sandy shorelines and are commonly found in estuaries. They have a clam-like shell and feed by filtering plankton and other small organisms from the water. Cockles are an important food source for shorebirds and are enjoyed by people too – often in vinegar. 

  • Sea hare (Aplysia punctata) – a marine snail that looks like a sea slug but actually has an internal shell. They can be found in shallow waters and rockpools and, like sea slugs, are  hermaphrodites with an individual acting as both male and female. Sea hares feed on seaweed, which is thought to determine its colour. Green sea hares eat green seaweed and maroon sea hares eat red seaweed. 

  • Gannets (Morus bassanus) – the largest of our sea birds with a six-foot wingspan, a creamy-yellow head and a long dagger-like bill. They can be seen circling in groups above the sea looking for fish before plummeting head-first into the water. 

  • Brittlestars (Ophiothrix fragilis) – Related to starfish with five long, flexible arms. Brittle in name, brittle in nature, they shed parts of their arms if they are disturbed or threatened. Brittlestars are found around the UK in rook pools and down to 85 metres deep. They gather in groups, with numbers of 2,000 recorded per square metre. 

  • Maerl – Purple and pink seaweed that form hard underwater reefs and provide a home to smaller species including sea cucumbers and anemones. Maerl beds are vital for storing carbon but are threatened by dredging and climate change. 

  • Risso’s dolphin (Grampus griseus) – Found in deep offshore waters, they are whiter than other dolphins with large, blunt heads and stocky bodies. The scratches on their bodies are the result of rough behaviour from fighting and catching prey.  

  • Solar powered sea slug (Elysia viridis) – A remarkable creature that feeds on algae, ingesting chloroplasts into its body and carrying out photosynthesis. They are usually bright green or red with floppy ‘rhinophores’ that look a bit like bunny ears. 

  • Undulate ray (Raja undulata) – A species of skate that buries itself in sand and mud up to depths of 200 metres, though more commonly found in shallower waters. They can live for more than 20 years. 

  • Irish Moss (Chrondus crispus)– A species of algae that grows on rocks in the subtidal zone and can vary in colour from green and yellow to red, purple and black. Irish Moss looks a bit like parsley and has uses both as food and medicine due to its gel-forming properties. 

Protecting UK seas 

In 2020, the Government committed to protect at least 30% of land and sea for nature by 2030 (its 30x30 target). According to a 2022 report by Wildlife & Countryside Link, a maximum of 8% of English waters could be classed as protected from bottom-towed fishing, which damages the seabed. However, other impacts, like offshore developments and other fishing methods, and poor monitoring to assess nature’s recovery in Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) mean this figure could be lower. 

Generation Sea 

The Wildlife Trusts have formed a youth steering group called Generation Sea. The aim of this group is to provide opportunities for young people to share their views on marine issues, develop skills and gain experience. Generation Sea is formed of young people who are passionate about protecting and restoring the marine environment. 

The Wildlife Trusts  

The Wildlife Trusts are making the world wilder and helping to ensure that nature is part of everyone’s lives. We are a grassroots movement of 46 charities with more than 900,000 members and 38,000 volunteers. No matter where you are in Britain, there is a Wildlife Trust inspiring people and saving, protecting and standing up for the natural world. With the support of our members, we care for and restore special places for nature on land and run marine conservation projects and collect vital data on the state of our seas. Every Wildlife Trust works within its local community to inspire people to create a wilder future – from advising thousands of landowners on how to manage their land to benefit wildlife, to connecting hundreds of thousands of school children with nature every year. www.wildlifetrusts.org 

 

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