Wildlife campaigners protest to protect the seahorses in Dorset

#studlandbay #dorset #eelgrass #seahorses The decision by environment ministry Defra on not agreeing on the establishment of marine conservation zones in Dorset’s Studland Bay and around the Isle of Wight has come as a shock to environmentalists as reported in dailymail.co.uk of dated 31 January 2015. It seems the plans were shelved to enable yachtsmen to moor their boats there. As officials have indicated, establishing marine conservation zones in Dorset’s Studland Bay and around the Isle of Wight would lead to major implications for sailors, including restrictions on where they could anchor. The decision has been condemned by campaigners because, as explained by Joan Edwards, of The Wildlife Trusts, the anchors break the fragile eelgrass, which is the habitat of many underwater species. Incidentally, Studland Bay is located two miles from Sandbanks which is Britain’s most expensive strip of coastal real estate. The worst part is that this is also the only place in the UK where both native seahorse species – the spiny seahorse and the short-snouted seahorse – are known to breed. Hence, their existence would be at stake. Their numbers have fallen dramatically in recent years. As per a survey carried out in 2009, there were only 40 spiny and two short-snouted seahorses in the bay. However, but last year the researchers could find a single juvenile male swimming there. In addition, the eelgrass which grows in the bay is home to endangered undulate rays, native British oysters and a huge variety of vulnerable fish and molluscs. Hence, the decision of Defra will harm these creatures.