\u201cIt\u2019s spectacular to see so many seahorses here,\u201d said Ken Collins, an emeritus fellow at the National Oceanography Centre (NOC) in Southampton.<\/p>\n
Collins has worked on globally important projects such as helping protect the water around the Gal\u00e1pagos Islands but is now a key member of the volunteer team monitoring the seahorses for the charity the Seahorse Trust.<\/p>\n
Studland Bay is a key spot in the UK for two species, the spiny seahorse and the short-snouted seahorse. The trust launched the Studland Seahorse Project in 2008 to try to boost numbers and in 2019 the bay was designated a marine conservation zone.<\/p>\n
A problem for the seagrass and seahorses is that the bay is also a fine area for boats to shelter in. \u201cAnd anchors tear out the roots of seagrass\u201d, said Collins. \u201cIt takes years to grow back.\u201d<\/p>\n Collins said there had been tension over the years with \u201canti-conservationists\u201d, some with \u201cTrump-like views\u201d, who seemed to think the champions of the seahorses were intent on driving the boaters away.<\/p>\n Relations have improved since the Studland Bay Marine Partnership was created in 2021, consisting of the Seahorse Trust, academics, boating organisations, community groups and local businesses.<\/p>\n Funds were provided from the UK government and a Hampshire company that runs marinas, Boatfolk, to help set up 87 eco moorings, which are attached to the Studland Bay seabed without scouring it. Bare patches in the seagrass are starting to grow back. \u201cIt\u2019s a long process but we\u2019re getting there,\u201d said Collins.<\/p>\n This week, the survey team set up camp on a picnic bench at Joe\u2019s Cafe on South Beach before their dive. Volunteers, including a builder, a student and a usually desk-bound marine habitat project manager, hauled on wetsuits and scuba gear. Collins, not as young as he was, was not too proud to ask one of the younger divers to help zip him into his wetsuit.<\/p>\n Jenny Mallinson, who used to run the aquarium at the National Oceanography Centre in Southampton, briefed the divers: when you spot a seahorse, don\u2019t take your eye off it or you will lose it; take a picture of the whole body so that the team can later try to identify if it is male or female; most importantly, don\u2019t distress the seahorses \u2013 if their colour darkens or they turn away, it\u2019s a sign that they are not happy and you should move away.<\/p>\n Over the next three and half hours, three pairs of divers combed the seagrass, which lies about 100 metres out and 2 metres down and reported back to Mallinson. The total was not as dramatic as earlier this month but they saw seven, all spiny seahorses.<\/p>\n Neil Garrick-Maidment, the executive director and founder of the Seahorse Trust, said they used to be pleased to spot one or two seahorses and often found none. \u201cSeven is brilliant. It is fantastic to start seeing seahorses back in Studland Bay. It has been an incredible team effort.\u201d<\/p>\n