Source Fish Responsibly with the Sustainable Restaurant Association

With UK waters brimming with fabulous seafood in the summer months, there could be no better time for restaurants to be sourcing and serving the most delicious fish. From the UK’s 10,000+ chippies which serve a staggering 380m portions of fish and chips, right through to fine dining restaurants dishing up the most luxurious shellfish, every eatery in the land can play its part in ensuring a healthy future for our oceans.

That’s why throughout July, the Sustainable Restaurant Association is running a month long campaign calling on the whole foodservice sector to serve responsibly sourced seafood. And because this can be a very complex and sometimes controversial topic we’ve joined forces with all of the major expert organisations as well as spoken to some of the finest exponents of sustainable seafood menus.

The statistics make grim reading, what with 90% of the world's fish stocks either fully or overexploited and marine populations having halved since the 1970s. But, as they say, yesterday’s news quickly becomes tomorrow’s fish and chip paper and is easily forgotten. Tell people enough bad news and the temptation is to stop listening. Offer some hope and achievable solutions and you start to change the landscape.

As a major first step on the road to a healthier future for our fish stocks, we’re asking all foodservice operators to remove the worst – all fish rated ‘5’ by the MCS.

We’ve also combined with the MCS and their counterparts at Marine Stewardship Council, Fish2Fork, Aquaculture Stewardship Council, Sustainable Fish Cities, Soil Association and Freedom Food to create an easy-to-use toolkit. It’s designed to make what can be a complex subject not just manageable, but also easy to navigate and implement.

In addition to the expertise of all of the major organisations working in these waters, we’ve tapped into the extensive expertise of those who are serving seafood on a daily basis – from across the spectrum, high street to high end.

There’s huge inspiration to be taken from Jack Stein, Director of Food at Rick Stein restaurants, who, when he learned of the plight of wild sea bass, sat down with his team, including renowned chef, father Rick, and took the decision to remove a customer favourite that had been a mainstay of The Seafood Restaurant menu since the doors opened at this Cornish institution more than 40 years ago.

Caroline Bennett of Moshi Moshi shares her incredible journey from opening a sushi restaurant just so she could access Bluefin tuna 25 years ago and her Damascene experience, to today when her menu is built around a selection of line caught fish from Cornwall.

Former deckhand and Michelin Star chef Alex Aitken, has a net-full of seafood knowhow to impart from his Dorset kitchen at The Jetty. Tim Bouget explains how just along the coast in Devon customers of his small group of eateries are enjoying a mix of local, seasonal, line-caught fish and MSC certified cod and haddock.

We’ve also brought in two of Britain’s tiptop chippies, Kingfisher and The Bay for the expertise in serving sustainable seafood at scale.

Zoe Stennett-Cox, explains the challenges of balancing clients’ demands with a robust seafood sourcing policy.

Now is the time for all foodservice businesses to grab their seafood menu, log on to the Food Made Good website and prepare to share their seafood triumphs, as well as the ones that got away. Promote your restaurants commitment to sourcing sustainable seafood and ask your diners for feedback on your fish menu through Fish2Fork DinerRatings. We’d urge all to come and join the conversation on social where you can tantalise your customers with fishy tales and photos too @FoodMadeGood #GoodFishGoodDish.

Tom Tanner, Sustainable Restaurant Association

The Beluga II Expediton comes to a close

Throughout May and June, Greenpeace’s ship the Beluga II set out on a two-month scientific voyage around Scotland’s coastlines, investigating the impact of ocean plastic pollution on some of the UK’s most beautiful landscapes and iconic wildlife.

The crew and scientists from Greenpeace’s Research Laboratories, based at Exeter University, were aboard the Beluga II to carry out sea surface sampling for microplastics, survey remote beaches for pollution and investigate seabird nests for plastic during hatching season.

The expedition took in sites of stunning beauty and biodiversity, including the Bass Rock, Gunna Sound, Mull, Rùm, Eigg, Skye, and the Shiant Isles in the Outer Hebrides. Plastic was documented in all locations.

During the tour, Greenpeace collaborated with many organisations including the Scottish Seabird Centre, the Marine Conservation Society, the Hebridean Whale & Dolphin Trust and RSPB Scotland, as well as running community engagement work to raise awareness about ocean plastic pollution.

"What a difference just two months can make. At the start of May I knew the facts and figures of the scourge of ocean plastics pollution, that up to 90% of seabirds have now eaten plastic, and that 1 in 3 turtles have too, and these numbers broke my heart. But setting sail with the campaigners, crew and scientists of Beluga II, who were on a mission to document the impact that plastic in the marine environment has opened my eyes even further.

To see a gannet tuck strips of polythene under herself whilst nesting, to see puffins with beaks full of plastic rope (hoping to impress their partner?)... I've now seen first hand just how our throwaway, single-use culture permeates and leaves a mark on the environment, and our oceanic wildlife.

Together with the Marine Consevation Society, Greenpeace surveyed nearly 40 remote beaches off the coast of Scotland... I want to say they were pristine, but they weren't. Every beach visited and surveyed has evidence of plastic pollution, from the coral beach of Loch Dunvegan to the causeway between islands in the Shiants.

Distressing though it is, this situation isn't helpless. Government and industry both have a role to play here.

A Greenpeace petition supporting the introduction of a Deposit Return Scheme in Scotland has garnered just shy of 25,000 of our Scottish suppprted signatures. Today, we handed this petition to Scottish Enviroment Minister, Roseanna Cunningham. There is already political support for a deposit return scheme in Scotland, sometimes it just takes the empowerment of 25,000 people's support to kick things up a gear and get the wheels turning. Deposit Return Schemes have seen recovery rates sore in Germany, 95% of the plastic put out there is recovered and reused. When you think that just daily, the UK fail to recycle 16million bottles... you know action is needed from the top down.

I mentioned industry and the role they have to play. While it's fantastic when individuals take action to reduce the amount of plastic in their lives (I love my keep cup and reusable water bottle, they are must-have essentials now) - companies churn out billions of bottles and take little responsibility for where they end up.

Onboard the Beluga II, i've just witnessed what plastic can do to the most beautiful of places, and its goes to show that when we throw something away... away simply doesn't exist. It's our beaches, oceans and our wildlife that bear the brunt of plastic pollution and this needs to change."

Fiona Nicholls, Greenpeace campaigner.

Choose Sustainable Seasonal Seafood on World Ocean's Day 

©  Paul Naylor / marinephoto.co.uk

Today it’s World Oceans Day and around the world people are celebrating the ocean. We love the sea for so many reasons, many people rely on it for jobs, for fun, to store carbon, for food and much more. But sometimes we forget that the wild caught fish we eat are actually creatures from wild populations that need careful management if we are all to keep enjoying them. 90% of global fish stocks are either fully or overfished!

Ethical buying, including of seafood, has come a long way, and people and businesses are getting to ‘know their fish’ and increasingly looking for seafood that is either sustainably assessed or rated well or certified as such which is great to see. People might not know though that in a similar way to fruit and vegetables, seasonality is also important for seafood.

Wild caught fish live in the sea naturally, and like any wild animal, they need to be allowed to grow to maturity and breed and they do this at different times of the year depending on the species. Seasonality does not apply to farmed seafood as they do not breed and reproduce in the same way as wild caught fish, or frozen or processed fish as you can’t really know when the fish was caught if it’s processed or frozen. But when buying fresh fish, picking them at the right time can be important. By avoiding immature (baby) fish and species that are in their spawning season – including berried crab and lobster - we can allow fish the chance to reproduce and contribute to their population. This can help maintain and increase fish stock levels and also contribute to their value in maintaining jobs and food security.

Local and seasonal fresh fish is often of better quality and tastes great, especially as a light summer dish. Here are some great seasonal fish to eat over the summer months.

June: Coley 

Coley belongs to the same family as cod and haddock and is a great sustainable substitute for cod. Also known as saithe, coley used to be a favourite of the nation’s cats before tinned pet food was developed, however top chefs and leading supermarkets have changed all that, championing it as a good alternative to cod. Coley is brilliant in fish pies and cakes and also eaten salted and smoked. Try this easy coley fish & chips recipe by Harry Niazi, owner of MSC certified Fish & Chip shop “Olley’s”.

July: Hake

Hake is closely related to cod but separated by its long slender body. Hake has a mild flavor with a medium but firm textured meat and is best poached with lemon juice. The European hake is found in waters close to home and the most sustainable choice is MSC certified European hake from Cornwall. Try this scrumptious Basque style hake recipe by acclaimed restaurateur, chef and author, Mitch Tonks.

August: Mackerel 

Mackerel is full of omega-3 and rumored to improve brain power so an ideal starter fish for kids! Mackerel is a fast swimming sliver and blue striped fish, related to tuna. Mackerel is best eaten fresh and can be grilled smoked or fried. Choose MSC certified handline caught mackerel from South West England. Try this delicious mackerel recipe by celebrity chef Raymond Blanc OBE.

September: Sardines 

With the Autumn season setting in September, it’s time to make the most of the final BBQ’s of the summer. Sardines are a BBQ favourite and usually cooked whole on the BBQ or ovenbaked. Rich in omega-3, sardines are an oily fish with a strong flavor. Young pilchards are often referred to as sardines and are named after the Mediterranean island of Sardinia where they once lived in abundance. Choose MSC certified sardines from Cornwall. Try this great grilled sardine recipe by Geetie Singh.

For more tasty seasonal fish recipes, check out the Marine Conservation Society’s Fish of the Month page, on the Good Fish Guide, where you can get recipes each month for fish in season from celebrity chefs including Raymond Blanc, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, Tom Aikens and more. This World Ocean's Day, and in the summer months to come, you can use our Good Fish Guide - it's online, on paper or on mobile app - to help you choose sustainable and seasonal seafood.

Rajina Gurung, Seafood Sustainability Advocate 

MCS taking to the waves with Greenpeace

Tonight will mark the official launch of the two-month Greenpeace expedition around Scotland's shores highlighting the issue of marine litter and some of the impacts it's having on Scotland's incredible biodiversity.

I'm especially looking forward to speaking at the event tonight along side John Sauven, Executive Director of Greenpeace UK, Richard Lochhead MSP, former Environment Minister and Tom Brock, Chief Executive of the Scottish Seabird Centre as they have all been involved with our Beachwatch project either themselves or through their staff and volunteers!

Beachwatch is our national beach cleaning and litter surveying citizen science project which has seen huge increases in numbers taking part over the past couple of years in Scotland thanks to the successful partnership working with organisations like Greenpeace and the Seabird Centre as well as Scottish Parliament with Mr Lochead being one of many MSP beach cleaners, although I have to admit I think he is definitely the longest running MSP beach cleaner as I remember meeting him at a Great British Beach Clean event run by another one of our partners WDC at Speybay nearly 10 years ago!

More recently I have been out on the beach with both Greenpeace staff and volunteers training them up in our Beachwatch project.  The Edinburgh  Greenpeace group has officially adopted a stretch of local coastline through Beachwatch with some funding from Edinburgh City Council and have started collecting that all important beach litter data for MCS. The data that is collected by our thousands of volunteers is essential for our pollution campaigns such as a current work around Deposit Return Systems, consultation responses, data sharing agreements with water companies and policy makers as well as the production of an annual report.

It was therefore fantastic to hear about the new Scottish Expedition that Greenpeace were embarking on and how the MCS Beachwatch project could be involved not just in Edinburgh, but all around the Scottish Coast!

Over the next two months Greenpeace will be using their 34m sailing vessel the Beluga II for a scientific voyage to explore the front line of ocean plastic around Scotland's rugged coastline.

The Beluga II will be taking scientists and campaigners aboard, including MCS staff hopefully  (very excited about this!), and working with organisations like MCS across Scotland to tour our iconic coastline and document how its globally important marine life is being impacted by ocean plastic pollution, from the puffins and gannets of Bass Rock, to the basking sharks of Gunna Sound in the Hebrides.

Throughout the expedition, Greenpeace will be sampling wildlife feeding waters for microplastics, gathering data to further scientific research, documenting plastic pollution on remote beaches and highlighting the effects of ocean plastic on some of the UK’s most precious wildlife.

It was around their interest in documenting plastic pollution that the Beluga II team got in touch as they had heard about Beachwatch and how some of their volunteers had already been involved.

So in a couple of hours, ahead of the launch tonight I will be out on a beach in Edinburgh with the Beluga II teams training them in how to survey beach litter using the Beachwatch survey forms. This will mean that they will be able to add data to the project from beaches that have never been surveyed before as they will be able to reach those remote and hard to get to spots around our coastline during the expedition. I'm very intrigued to see the results!

Scientists estimate that 90% of seabirds now have plastic in their stomachs and plastic pollution has been observed in the farthest corners of the world’s oceans, from Pacific islands to Arctic ice. It is therefore so important that we have more volunteers, groups and organisations like Greenpeace that can gather data and help contribute to one database that we can then all draw on for fighting the rising tide of marine litter. Thank you to all of you who already take part in Beachwatch and if you haven't had the chance to yet then please do get in touch!

We will also be joined by the Greenpeace team on Mull where I'll be running a beach clean with some local schools who have been beach cleaning for a long time and are excited to tell their story to Greenpeace and help highlight their messages about beach litter from their island.

It's going to be a busy few months but I'm extremely excited to be involved. Do keep an eye out for the Beluga II, and we look forward to seeing them both tonight and on Mull as well as the data they will be collecting.

If you have a beach clean planned over the next two months or are planning on taking part in the MCS Plastic Challenge do let us know and join the conversation online at @mcsuk.

MCS Scotland Conservation Officer Catherine Gemmell has been working at MCS for two years from our Edinburgh Office increasing engagement in our Beachwatch project as well as promoting our pollution campaigns and supporting policy work.

Our ratings on haddock in the North Sea, West of Scotland and Skagerrak explained

We publicised our latest changes to our Good Fish Guide ratings last week, with news of changes to several species and stocks including haddock, Nephrops (scampi or ‘prawns’), undulate ray and tunas. We received criticism from some quarters for highlighting the fact that our rating for haddock in the North Sea, West of Scotland and Skagerrak had changed, so we thought we’d elaborate.

The fisheries & aquaculture team at MCS works to reduce the environmental impacts that fisheries and aquaculture can have on the marine environment. We do this because we love the sea, and we want it to be as healthy as possible so that it can keep providing us all with employment, food and enjoyment long into the future.

To achieve this we try to get environmental considerations firmly incorporated into legislation, and we also encourage consumers and the commercial marketplace to ask for and support environmental improvements in the way seafood is harvested and produced.

Underpinning much of this work is our Good Fish Guide where we maintain sustainability ratings for hundreds of the most popular seafood sources. These ratings compare the relative sustainability of different fisheries and farming methods using a traffic light system, so the public can see where improvements are most needed. We have many green ratings, which promote well managed fisheries and farming methods (eg. coley, hake, herring, mussels, mackerel) as well as yellow, amber and red ratings.

Fisheries management has actually been improving a lot over the last decade, and the UK industry has helped a huge amount by developing new ways to fish more selectively and record more data. The Scottish industry has played a leading role in such work. We try to reflect these improvements in our seafood ratings as well, but sometimes these changes in management and practice take time to be reflected in the health of a fish population.

In Europe, the health of most fish stocks are assessed each year by scientists, so whenever there is a new assessment, MCS updates its ratings in the following months.

Haddock

In November last year, new scientific advice was released for haddock in the North Sea, West of Scotland and Skagerrak area. This advice revealed that a mistake had been made in previous scientific assessments and also incorporated new information that showed the haddock fishery wasn’t as healthy as thought over the last few years, and was now ‘overfished’ and subject to ‘overfishing’. It is of crucial importance to highlight that this wasn’t due to the fishers not following the rules or the scientific advice. Actually, as a result of this new advice, quotas were significantly cut for 2017 - 47% lower than originally advised for in 2016. This is a key sign of good management and is considered and reflected in our rating. If the haddock stock was in this condition without good management, it would likely rate worse.  

For any fishery, if overfishing is occurring (fishing rate is too high) and the population is ‘overfished’ (it is smaller than predetermined reference points) the outlook is generally not good and represents a high risk that the population could be further depleted. As a result, most fisheries assessed on the Good Fish Guide do not rate well when in this situation.

This haddock population though is prone to rapid fluctuations and can increase and decrease rapidly, depending on the number of juvenile fish entering the fishery. Currently, scientists are actually expecting the population to increase because of a ‘strong year class’ of juvenile fish in 2014 which are expected to grow up and become commercially fishable in 2017. So whilst the scientific status is currently ‘overfished’ and subject to ‘overfishing’, this may well change for the next assessment. However, sometimes expected changes do not materialise, so we cannot incorporate this information into our ratings at this moment but as soon as there is new scientific advice out for this fishery, we will be updating our ratings.

An ongoing consideration for this haddock population and many other UK fisheries is the large amount of juvenile fish still being caught,where further improvement is needed. Whilst a huge amount of work has been undertaken to try and reduce the catch of juvenile fish, such as through the welcome Scottish Conservation Credits Scheme, scientists still say that reducing the catch of juveniles would really help increase the size and productivity of our fish populations.

Why highlight this now?

MCS undertakes ratings updates two times a year, and we normally accompany these events with a press release to highlight changes to ratings. In its press release, MCS drew attention to several ratings changes, including improvements to fisheries including North Sea (Farn Deeps) Nephrops (scampi or ’prawns’) and Atlantic albacore. We chose to highlight the haddock ratings change in the headline because we deemed this of most public interest, given its popularity in the UK. This was not intended to lay blame or to undermine recent efforts to remedy the situation by the UK, Scottish and Norwegian governments.

We support the MSC

MCS widely advocates Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certified seafood as one of the best - and fully traceable - seafood choices available, and we still do this for the MSC certified haddock fishery with a rating of 3. As our assessments are different to the MSC standard though, and often working to different time scales, our green ratings do not always perfectly align with MSC certifications, but it is extremely rare for there to be larger differences.

Latest changes to ratings for haddock from the North Sea, West of Scotland and Skagerrak

- 2 to 3 for the MSC certified trawl fishery

- 3 to a 4 for the long line and gill net fisheries

If the haddock stock was not being well managed, it would likely rate worse. MCS has not called for haddock to be avoided. We only advise this when a rating is rated 5 (red).

Yellow, and then amber ratings reflect fisheries or farming methods where improvements to the management, stock status or impact on other species (or a combination of these) is needed in order for them to secure a green MCS rating (1 or 2).

We have enormous respect for our commercial fishers, and we truly want them to have profitable businesses, built on healthy and well managed fish stocks, that can sustain thriving coastal communities. Larger fish populations mean greater catches. They also mean our fish stocks can better fulfil their natural ecosystem role as both predators and prey in our marine environment, which is under enormous pressure. These fish stocks are not just food for us, and not just income for business; they are native species in our waters which all play an important part in keeping our seas healthy, so they can continue to provide the many benefits we all enjoy.

Sandy Luk
MCS Chief Executive Officer

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It defines who I am

“It defines who I am, who I have been and who I will be.”
Charlotte Coombes

What does the sea mean to you? What do you value about it? If it disappeared tomorrow, what would you miss?

As a marine conservationist, I have this permanent yet undefined connection to the sea that hovers at the back of my mind. Of course I do what I do because I think it’s important, but actually talking about why I think it’s important doesn’t seem to happen very often. It gets pushed aside to make room for everyday working life – reporting, meetings, deadlines. We spend so much time thinking about what we should be doing that we forget to focus on why we’re doing it.



Recently I took part in the Community Voice Method project that MCS has been running jointly with Eastern Inshore Fisheries & Conservation Authority – one of 10 IFCAs responsible for looking after English inshore seas (from the coast out to 6 nautical miles). EIFCA operates around the Wash, Norfolk and Suffolk. The idea of the project is to get people who use the sea involved in the management of it – marine protection is far more effective when users are involved from the start, and feel ownership of and responsibility for their local environment.

But rather than follow the same old consultation processes and public meetings that can as often alienate people as involve them, these workshops started with a different question – what does the sea mean to people? They asked fishermen, regulators, tour operators, conservationists and more from the local area and what came back was moving and inspiring. (See the quote at the beginning of this blog). Themes such as peace and beauty, job satisfaction, culture and community, wildlife all came through. These values were not unique to any one sector – everyone in the room could identify with what everyone else was saying. It was a real moment of recognition for all of us.



One local fisherman talked about the joy of getting out on the water – the moment of freedom when mobile signal disappears, that desire to be right back out there as soon as possible. (That fisherman happens to be a 17-year-old who’s also studying at college and is quietly eloquent about something I’ve struggled to define myself). On the other hand, other fishermen had spoken of their fears for the future of their sector – in the words of one, “There's no one here. We're the last. When we're dead and buried you'll have to go and get your fish from somewhere else.” Small scale inshore fishing is often a family affair, and while there clearly are some young fishermen coming in, there aren’t enough. What I learned from them both was how deeply passionate they are about what they do. How much harder it must be, then, to live in a time where you see all of that disappearing – not just your business, but your traditions, your way of life.

But there were positives. A local councillor told me she was “buzzing” because she was so inspired by the workshops, and an environmentalist had tears in her eyes because of her newfound connection with the community that depends on the thing she’s working to protect. This project is going to have a lasting impact on people.



The workshops moved us through a simple yet effective process – from values to the key issues facing the region, and then to the actions that the participants recommend to resolve them. Keeping our joint connections to the sea right at the fore, at the end they brought us full circle to talk about how those actions will support the values that we all share. It’s now up to EIFCA to take the learning from these workshops and see what can be done – but conversations have already begun and I am certainly optimistic about the future of the inshore seas of The Wash, Norfolk and Suffolk.

More than that, of the many things I learned during this process, the most important and heartening is surely this: Conservation is not a ‘them versus us’ situation – we are all in it together, and I think we make a pretty good team when we find our common ground.

See more about the project here: http://www.eastern-ifca.gov.uk/publications/community-voice-project/

Learn more about Community Voice Method here: http://communityvoicemethod.org/

Charlotte is the Conservation Projects Officer at MCS, supporting the Conservation Team on numerous projects and specialising in data and GIS. She graduated from Aberystwyth University in 2006 with a BSc Hons in Marine and Freshwater Biology, and followed this up in 2008 with a 6 month marine conservation internship with Blue Ventures, proceeded by 2 memorable months at their field site in SW Madagascar. Seeing the inspiring conservation that was happening overseas, Charlotte felt passionately that the same could and should be achieved closer to home, and was delighted to join the MCS Conservation Team in 2012. Current work ranges from seafood ratings research to SQL database design to litter data analysis.

Where do turtles have star-bellies and nest in the day? The Seychelles!

Rachel Wyatt - MCS Water Quality Programme Manager.   

Having spent the last seven years working for the Marine Conservation Society (MCS) in the UK, I couldn't pass up the chance to meet up with MCS Seychelles (MCSS) while visiting these beautiful islands. With a team of only seven staff members, it's not surprising that like us they welcome volunteers and I'm honoured to be one of them for my time here.

It didn't take long to meet the locals! At the Banyan Tree Rehabilitation Centre I was introduced to their resident Yellow-bellied Mud and Black Mud (or sometimes known as Star-bellied) turtles. They are the two species of terrapins found on the Seychelles, and while they may not be marine turtles, they can be found just behind the beaches here in freshwater wetlands and are both critically endangered. With their natural habitat being threatened by developments, pollution and invasive species it's no surprise that their numbers have declined. Luckily for them, MCSS have set up a programme to monitor their numbers and protect them.

First day on the job we headed out to the remote beaches of South Mahe to check some traps that the team had already put out in the wetlands in an area earmarked for a new tourist resort - and as if to prove that they really are rare, after checking around a dozen traps, we unfortunately hadn't caught any!

The next day we had more luck with the traps in the wetlands surrounding the rehabilitation centre. The first turtle we caught was a regular visitor and had been caught just a few days before - the staff recognised her instantly due to the unique pattern on her belly (plus the nail varnished scales used as an ID tag!) so we recorded her presence and popped her straight back. After a few more no shows we were lucky enough to capture a new individual that the team hadn't met before so she was measured, marked and recorded - I was asked to name her and since she had a unique purple colouration on her shell (only seen once before on a turtle known as Violet) I called her Viola, after my four year old niece.

But it's not just the freshwater turtles that need protecting here. The white sand beaches are a popular nesting ground for Hawksbill turtles, also critically endangered. I was pleased to find out that, unlike most other turtles, the Hawksbill turtles in the Seychelles nest during the day - no all night turtle patrols for me! So off we went to look for signs of new turtle nests and recently hatched ones. After walking along the shores of nine beautiful beaches we had recorded a new Hawksbill nest, which we found by the tracks left in the sand, and had dug up three recently hatched nests to see how many eggs had successfully hatched - thankfully all of the the eggs we found had.

The following day and back on the terrapin project, I saw first hand how the latest technology was being put into use by using drones to photograph wetlands to create habitat maps.

Again the wetlands are potential sites for developments and the team are hoping to find the areas which are important for the terrapins so that they can hopefully be retained and disturbance minimised. 

 

We also caught a very cute juvenile terrapin back at the centre - smaller than the palm of my hand!

Another day and more beaches that need to be checked for signs of new turtle activity. We found some more new tracks on the beach but this time we couldn't find any evidence that she had made a nest - maybe put off by the dry sand or natural debris on the part of the beach she had chosen. We dug several nests which had recently hatched, two were very successful and we only found empty shells but the last was a bit of a mixed bag, over 90 eggs had hatched but a further 50 hadn't developed properly. Seven hatchlings hadn't made it out of the nest, stuck under roots blocking their exit - luckily for them we dug the nest soon after the main hatch and we were able to help them out. It was great to watch them make their way happily over the stretch of sand to the sea and take their first strokes into the torquoise blue water. Hopefully some of them will return to nest one day and will find the beach as welcoming a nesting site as their mother did.

It's not all about playing with turtles though - today we spent the morning removing water hyacinths from the wetland. This invasive aquatic plant species spreads at an alarming rate. It's hot work, but it feels good to do something practical to help improve the terrapins habitat.

Even though I have been here a very short time, and have come at the end of nesting season, I have seen lots of evidence of breeding Hawksbill's here and areas where terrapins have found a refuge. But like most places they are under constant pressure, whether it's from habitat loss, invasive species or sometimes poaching. But I have seen a strong desire to conserve the turtles on Mahe. Most beaches are patrolled and monitored for turtle activity, whether by MCSS or one of the other organisations on the island. Even though I am told that the beaches have begun to be more heavily developed over the last few years I can see that when they are developed there are rules which help to limit the impact on the beach - the wetlands unfortunately seem to be more heavily impacted. But hopefully with information gathered by organisations like MCSS their impact in the future can be reduced.

Tomorrow I will go on my last turtle patrol, can't wait to see what we find!

Rachel