'Spectacular' year for sea creature discoveries but warnings over threats to marine wildlife

In their annual review of the year for the seas and coasts of the UK, Alderney and the Isle of Man, the coalition of local and national wildlife charities reveals some extraordinary marine finds.

One was that “Albie”, the only albatross in the Northern Hemisphere, returned to Bempton cliffs in Yorkshire.

Other findings of note from around the country include a new species of coral found at depths up to 2,000m in the Rockall Trench, some 240 miles off Scotland’s west coast, a 100-year-old Greenland shark washed up at Newlyn, Cornwall, new records of sea slugs while, the Manx Wildlife Trust recorded the first ever swordfish off the Isle of Man.

Whale sightings were also plentiful in Yorkshire last year.

It suggests how populations are recovering following bans on commercial whaling, the Trusts said.

They include a humpback whale near Brighton marina and a calf spotted near Cornwall’s Lizard Peninsula.

In very rare sightings for the area, Cumbria Wildlife Trust reported minke whales near its Walney Island nature reserve and off the coast of Workington, while a large group of normally-solitary minkes was seen gathering off the Yorkshire coast in August.

Monitoring by Yorkshire Wildlife Trusts also suggests bottlenose dolphins are now present off the region’s coasts all year round, while two new orca calves were spotted off Shetland in January – a positive sign for the Northern Isles group.

But a host of pressures are threatening the seas, from the global avian flu pandemic which has killed thousands of seabirds across the UK, to pollution including oil spills and plastic, as well as people irresponsibly disturbing wildlife.

The outbreak of bird flu is the worst ever recorded in the UK, with research showing 13 per cent of the UK population of great skuas – 8 per cent of the global total – dying, while Northumberland Wildlife Trust collected more than 800 dead birds, mostly sandwich terns from its Druridge Bay reserve alone.

There were several oil spills while another study of dead birds found the majority had eaten plastic.

The Wildlife Trusts are encouraging people to follow the “Wise” scheme, which promotes responsible wildlife watching, amid reports of people disturbing nature.

These include a group of jet skiers filmed ploughing through seabirds at Puffin Island in North Wales, and reports of people disturbing a group of 100 seals at Point of Ayre on the Isle of Man.

In early January last year, the Yorkshire Post also reported on an incident at Ravenscar when a runner ran towards a seal colony despite the pleas of wildlife volunteers to not approach them.

Yorkshire Seal Watch members were left in shock after the runner was also verbally abusive to a 'seal steward' saying he was 'not interested' in the animals' welfare.

It caused a 100 seals to stampede, some of which were still pups.

A young seal had to be rescued by a wildlife charity in April after being harassed continuously by a group of people at Hornsea. A volunteer from the British Divers Marine Life Rescue collected the four month old seal for recuperative treatment after witnesses reported a group of adults and children were trying to drag the animal into the sea by its hind flippers, throwing stones at it and worrying it with loose dogs.

Dr Lissa Batey, head of marine conservation at The Wildlife Trusts, said: “From ancient sea creatures to new species for science, the discoveries in this year’s marine review show just how spectacular life is below the waves.

“While full of surprises, our oceans are also busy places where wildlife is facing a huge range of pressures – including climate change, pollution and development.

“The sea needs better protections to help nature recover and thrive as a matter of urgency.”

She called for the Government to abandon planned legislation – the Retained EU Law Bill – which conservationists warn could threaten existing laws that protect wildlife and wild places on land and at sea.

She also said: “Protecting large areas of our oceans is crucial for fishing and other industries that rely on healthy seas, as well as providing security for important carbon storing habitats like seagrass meadows and seabed sediments.”

The Wildlife Trusts also said they had been working with people on citizen science projects and wellbeing schemes around the coasts, and helping school children learn about wildlife and students restoring saltmarshes and seagrass beds.