Issue 93 - February 2023

New Funding Could Put North East On The Map As a Climate Leader

A South Tyneside Council-led project aims to strengthen North Eastern coastlines and communities in the face of flooding, erosion and the impacts of climate change.

Close up native oyster at Wild Oysters — Close-up native oyster at Wild Oysters by Celine Gamble

South Tyneside Council has secured £6.9m in funding for the region’s Stronger Shores initiative, which will take a new approach to make British coastlines and communities stronger in the face of flooding, erosion and the impacts of climate change.

The project explores how to use the power of nature to restore our ocean’s health while cementing a more sustainable, healthy and prosperous future for coastal communities. Through Stronger Shores’ game-changing potential, the North East is trailblazing a path for the UK to be a world-leader in establishing proven, affordable and long-term solutions to the climate crisis.

This project is funded by Defra as part of the £150 million Flood and Coastal Resilience Innovation Programme which is managed by the Environment Agency to develop and test new approaches to help communities become more resilient to the effects of flooding and climate change.

20 oyster hoists installed at Hartlepool Marina. The native oyster nurseries hold a total of 600 native oysters. Photo credit: Emma Paterson, Tees Rivers Trust

Councillor Ernest Gibson, Lead Member for Transport and Neighbourhoods at South Tyneside Council and Chair of the Local Government Association (LGA) Coastal Special Interest Group (SIG) said: “Our coastline is one of our greatest treasures but, over the years, important natural habitats have been lost. Many areas are threatened by flooding, erosion and storms and climate change will only make this worse. If we do nothing, habitats, man-made coastal defences and communities could all suffer. That’s why we’re proud to have secured this funding for Stronger Shores, which will allow us to turn to the hidden habitats below the waves for an affordable, long-term solution.”

Councillor Gibson continued: “Traditional man-made coastal protection solutions are often expensive to install, maintain and replace. Sand dunes and saltmarshes offer protection but are themselves threatened by rising sea levels and development pressures. However, marine habitats such as seagrass meadows, kelp forests and oyster reefs can act as natural buffers that protect coastlines, enhance community benefits and reduce maintenance costs for existing coastal protection. By investing in protecting these seabed habitats now, we hope to see ongoing benefits for people and planet.”

Through Stronger Shores, a network of experts will test new restoration approaches to better understand how these habitats can benefit communities in the North East and beyond through: improving water quality, reducing erosion and structural damage, helping to stabilise shorelines, reducing wave impacts, creating rich wildlife, protecting against pollution, improving fisheries, protecting against climate change, providing community recreation areas, and extending the lifespan of man-made coastal defences.

The project is supported by: Newcastle University, University of Plymouth, Tees Rivers Trust, The North Sea Wildlife Trusts, Zoological Society of London (ZSL) and Groundwork North East & Cumbria (GWNEC).

Celine Gamble, Restoration Project Manager, Zoological Society of London added: “This Stronger Shores funding will help us and Groundwork North East and Cumbria build on our previous work on the Wild Oyster Project. By allowing us to scale up, this investment will mean we can increase our habitat restoration efforts and deliver a more extensive, longer-term monitoring programme. As a result, we’ll be able to better understand and quantify the benefits of native oyster reefs for local habitats and communities. Even more exciting is the potential to transform how the UK government approaches coastal protection. Proving the success of affordable, long-term solutions to coastal threats – such as native oyster reefs – could justify policy change and unlock future funding for marine habitat restoration.”

Native oyster in water after cleaning at Wild Oysters by Celine Gamble

Clare Fitzsimmons, Professor of Marine Ecosystems and Governance, from Newcastle University, said: “We are very excited to be working with Stronger Shores in the delivery of ground-breaking, interdisciplinary research to determine the roles of natural and restored kelp, seagrass and oyster beds in protecting our coasts. We will pilot restoration of key habitats testing new techniques to support recovery, while making sure our innovative measurement and monitoring methods can identify the most effective solutions. Then, working with University of Plymouth, we can identify critical links between ecological outcomes and benefits for society, filling significant knowledge gaps and testing a robust framework for future projects to follow.”

Mark Dinning, Head of Conservation, for Durham Wildlife Trust, said: “Connecting people with the marine environment is vitally important in securing its protection and restoration. Durham, Northumberland and Tees Valley Wildlife Trusts are excited to be delivering this element of the Stronger Shores programme. Stronger Shores offers opportunities to boost existing conservation projects by sharing resources, expertise and information with other organisations. Expertise from the North Sea Wildlife Trusts will allow the development of important seagrass restoration work along the North East England coast by testing innovative methodologies for seed planting and monitoring. This is a practical, value-for-money approach that can save money, assets and infrastructure later if we can create a proven framework for others to follow – not just in the North East but across the UK and beyond.”

Simon Wilson, Environment Agency Area Flood and Coastal Risk Manager for the North East, said: “We’re excited to be supporting Stronger Shores, which has huge potential to help communities become more resilient to the effects of flooding and climate change. It’s one of 25 innovative projects being funded by Defra as part of the £150 million Flood and Coastal Resilience Innovation Programme, which is managed by the Environment Agency. Climate change is happening now and we will see future impact on people, communities, wildlife and the economy. Stronger Shores will be key in finding long-term solutions to protect communities across South Tyneside and the rest of the country. We look forward to using the evidence gathered to inform future management approaches around the coast.”

Stronger Shores is expected to launch in Spring 2023 and there will be lots of opportunities for members of the public to get involved through volunteering, citizen science and more. In the meantime, South Tyneside Council is keen to hear people’s views on the project. For more information or to share views, email strongershores@southtyneside.gov.uk

About Stronger Shores

Stronger Shores, led by South Tyneside Council, is making British coastlines and communities stronger in the face of flooding, erosion and climate change. The project uses the power of nature to restore ocean health, benefit communities and help the UK become a world-leader in climate solutions. Through Stronger Shores, experts are learning how hidden underwater habitats – seagrass meadows, kelp forests and oyster reefs – improve water quality, erosion, wave impacts, wildlife and more.

This project is funded by Defra as part of the £150 million Flood and Coastal Resilience Innovation Programme (FCRIP) which is managed by the Environment Agency to develop new approaches to help communities become more resilient to the effects of flooding and climate change. Focusing on the North East coastline, the Stronger Shores study area extends from Skinningrove in North Yorkshire to Lindisfarne in Northumberland. If successful, the six-year project could transform government policy and unlock future funding. For more information or to share views, email strongershores@southtyneside.gov.uk

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Issue 93 - February 2023

100+ Organisations Call on The EU to Rebuild Tuna Stocks & Protect Our Oceans

The 120 conservation organisations, civil society groups, artisanal fisher associations and responsible businesses, including retailers from around the world, united in the last three days to support the letter that addresses the lack of transparency and accountability associated with the use of drifting FADs – a type of destructive fishing gear used by EU tuna purse seine vessels.

Among the 120 signatories are retailers and brands that source tuna from the Indian Ocean. These include Marks & Spencer, MIGROS, Woolworths, Fish Tales, Fish4Ever, followfood, Big Fish, and Greenfish amongst others. Global conservation organisations such as Seas at Risk, Whale and Dolphin Conservation, Blue Marine Foundation, BirdLife International, Deutsche Stifftung Meereschutz, Sciaena, and Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) also endorsed the call to action. Small-scale fishers also added their voice with groups like Fédération des Pêcheurs Artisans de l’Océan Indien (FPAOI) and the Confédération Africaine des Organisations de Pêche Artisanale (CAOPA), requesting action from the EU on FADs

The signatories of the letter emphasised that the EU has a moral and legal obligation to act in the best interests of its 450 million citizens and not only to protect the interests of commercial enterprises in Spain, France and Italy who profit from their fishing operations in the Indian Ocean. The letter also highlighted the EU’s obligation to apply the precautionary approach – a key environmental principle that mandates action to prevent possible environmental damage – at the upcoming Special Session of the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC) that will be held in Mombasa, Kenya, on 3-5 February 2023.

Read The Letter & The Request of Its 120 Signatories Here

The IOTC Special Session is being held in the wake of rampant overfishing of the region’s tuna stocks. The valuable Indian Ocean yellowfin tuna stock is overfished and has been since 2015. Recently, the region’s bigeye tuna stock has also been assessed as overfished and subject to overfishing. Scientists have consistently shown strong links between dwindling tropical tuna stocks and the high numbers of juvenile tuna caught around drifting FADs. A recent study showed that 97% of the yellowfin tuna caught around drifting FADs in the Indian Ocean are juveniles.

According to 2020 statistics, the EU fleet caught 217,000 tonnes of tuna in the western Indian Ocean. Of this catch, 69% was taken by Spain, 28% by France, 2% by Italy and 1% by Portugal. The catch consisted mainly of skipjack, yellowfin and bigeye tuna, with more than 60% of the yellowfin tuna in the Indian Ocean caught by EU vessels.

Martin Purves, IPNLF’s Managing Director, who will be attending the meeting in Mombasa, said:

“This upcoming Special Session of the IOTC provides an important opportunity for the EU to act responsibly and to play a leadership role in driving improvements in FAD fishing operations. The lack of transparency in how these fishing operations are conducted, the lack of responsibility taken by FAD owners for the damage caused to sensitive ecosystems by these devices and the overall lack of effective management of drifting FAD fishing operations all needs to be addressed as a matter of urgency. We all need to work together to ensure that Indian Ocean tuna stocks and the livelihoods that depend on them are safeguarded into the future.”

The EU’s delegation to the IOTC previously pushed back in 2021 and 2022 at attempts to improve existing FAD management measures, arguing that that there is a lack of scientific data on which to base such management decisions. The letter argues, however, that the precautionary approach is not only incorporated as a resolution at the IOTC but is also specifically mentioned under Article 6 of the UN Fish Stocks Agreement (UNFSA) and the EU’s own fishery law adopted under the Common Fisheries Policy.

Tuna fisheries are among the most highly capitalised and valuable fisheries in the world. Tunas are not only a sought-after commodity, but also an important source of protein. They also play a vital role as predators and prey in tropical and temperate marine ecosystems while supporting the livelihoods of many artisanal fishers.

In the Indian Ocean the millions of juvenile yellowfin and bigeye tuna caught around FADs could have grown to much larger fish to feed coastal communities. There is also lots of evidence that FADs are causing serious environmental damage in coastal areas where communities are the most vulnerable in terms of poverty, climate change and impacts on their food security.

The signatories expressed the hope that their call to action will be acknowledged and the EU will show leadership as an important actor on global marine conservation.

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Issue 93 - February 2023

Short-Term Bang of Fireworks Has Long-Term Impact On Wildlife: Study Says

By Curtin University

Popular fireworks should be replaced with cleaner drone and laser light shows to avoid the “highly damaging” impact on wildlife, domestic pets and the broader environment, new Curtin-led research has found.

The new research, published in Pacific Conservation Biology, examined the environmental toll of firework displays by reviewing the ecological effects of Diwali festivities in India, Fourth of July celebrations across the United States of America, and other events in New Zealand and parts of Europe.

Examples included fireworks in Spanish festivals impacting the breeding success of House Sparrows, July firework displays being implicated in the decline of Brandt’s Cormorant colonies in California, and South American sea lions changing their behaviour during breeding season as a result of New Year’s fireworks in Chile.

Lead author Associate Professor Bill Bateman, from Curtin’s School of Molecular and Life Sciences, said fireworks remained globally popular despite the overwhelming evidence that they negatively impacted wildlife, domestic animals and the environment.

“Fireworks create short-term noise and light disturbances that cause distress in domestic animals that may be managed before or after a firework event, but the impacts to wildlife can be on a much larger scale,” Associate Professor Bateman said.

“The annual timing of some large-scale firework events coincides with the migratory or reproductive movements of wildlife, and may therefore have adverse long-term population effects on them. Fireworks also produce significant pulses of highly pollutant materials that also contribute significantly to the chemical pollution of soil, water, and air, which has implications for human as well as animal health.”

Associate Professor Bateman said firework bans at sensitive periods for wildlife migration or mating periods could limit the impact, as well as drone or other light-based shows.

“Other than horses, for which there is some evidence that they can be gradually familiarised with flashes of light, there is very little that can be done to address the disturbing impact of noise from fireworks on animals and wildlife,” Associate Professor Bateman said.

“The future of firework displays may be in the use of safer and greener alternatives such as drones, eco- friendly fireworks or visible-wavelength lasers for light shows.

“There is growing evidence that these community events can be managed in a sustainable way and it’s clear that out-dated firework displays need to be replaced by cleaner options that are not harmful to wildlife and the environment.”

The full paper, ‘Not just a flash in the pan: short and long term impacts of fireworks on the environment’, is available online here.

About Curtin University

Curtin University is Western Australia’s largest university, with close to 60,000 students. In addition to the University’s main campus in Perth, Curtin also has a major regional campus in Kalgoorlie, and a campus in Midland, as well as four global campuses in Malaysia, Singapore, Dubai and Mauritius. Curtin staff and students come from Australia and over 120 other countries around the world, with half our international students studying at Curtin’s offshore campuses.

Curtin is ranked in the top one per cent of universities worldwide, with the University placed 9th in Australia according to the Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU) 2022 and has achieved a QS Five Stars Plus rating, the highest available for a tertiary institution, and one of only five to do so in Australia.

The University has built a reputation around innovation and an entrepreneurial spirit, being at the forefront of many high-profile research projects in astronomy, biosciences, economics, mining and information technology. It is also recognised globally for its strong connections with industry, and for its commitment to preparing students for the jobs of the future.

For further information, visit curtin.edu.au.

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