Seashore Big Blue UK

It's day four of Big Blue UK and Lindsay and I

are on one of Britain's most recognisable beaches.

This is Lulworth Cove in Dorset.

We are here to explore the most accessible

of all our marine habitats, the one that is right here

under our feet - our shoreline.

We have over 11,000 miles of stunning coastline to explore

here in the UK. And, if you sail away from the mainland,

there are over 7,000 islands to see, too.

And it is in these special places, where the sea meets the land,

that we can get to meet some of our most unusual,

and surprising, marine creatures.

Hi, Adam.

'Later, I'll be investigating how we can protect

'our seashores for years to come.'

Wow, is this a conger eel just coming in here?

This is a baby conger eel.

I'll be finding out

how studying this humble gastropod,

the toothed top shell,

can help save the world,

while some familiar faces

share their favourite past encounters from the shoreline.

And all week, we are joined by roving wildlife cameraman

Richard Taylor-Jones. Today, he is after the truth behind

this year's seaside scare story.

This summer, we have seen the most enormous number

of jellyfish sightings across the UK.

I am going to try and track down the misunderstood monster

that grows up to a metre wide, known as the barrel jellyfish.

The weird and the wonderful can be found all along our shoreline

and some of our native sea creatures are so extraordinary

that they seem almost the stuff of fantasy.

20 miles east from here lies the inshore breeding ground

of a very unusual fish,

as marine biologist Tooni Mahto found out.

This bay is home to one of Britain's most unexpected inhabitants.

Small in size, but large in character.

You might think you would only see them in tropical waters,

but Studland Bay is famous for its seahorses.

Local conservationist Steve Trewhella discovered

a pregnant seahorse here, suggesting that Studland Bay

is home to a breeding colony.

I know it sounds silly, but when we are looking for seahorses,

you have to go into seahorse mode. You have to think like a seahorse.

Where would you be if you were a seahorse?

They are very hard to find.

Studland Bay is now recognised as one of the most important

seahorse sites in Europe - and there is a good reason they are here.

Just a few metres deep lies this bed of thick eelgrass -

a perfect seahorse habitat...

but one that makes them difficult to find.

So, Steve, what is the best method to try to find seahorses

in the eelgrass?

A combination of extreme patience and good eyesight.

You have to just take your time and sweep through carefully. OK.

Eelgrass needs shallow, protected waters to flourish,

so the sheltered bays of the South Coast are ideal.

Eelgrass is incredibly important for a whole range of species,

because it provides this fantastic wealth of places to hide.

It would be incredibly difficult for a predator to come in here

and find anything -

as it's proving for us to find a seahorse.

SHE LAUGHS

Look! I have found a spiny seahorse.

I know that you're not meant to get sentimental about creatures,

but she is so beautiful!

Astonishing.

Seahorses may not look like it, but they are, in fact, fish.

They blend into the weeds and prey on passing tiny animals.

Those little spikes that are coming off her head,

they help her camouflage herself,

to, basically, disappear into the eelgrass.

The next time we see her, she may be with a mate,

so, hopefully, breeding successfully.

That's what she has come here to do.

Bye-bye, beautiful!

Remarkable little creatures, aren't they? They are absolutely fabulous.

I love seahorses. And I am sure Tooni will be delighted to hear that

we followed up on her sighting and, on 8th August, a female and a male

seahorse were spotted by Julie Hatcher. She is the marine officer

at the Dorset Wildlife Trust. She said they were both

in excellent condition. That is brilliant news.

But did you know that seahorses are the only creatures in the world

where the male, rather than the female, goes through pregnancy?

Now, Hugh, I think that sounds like a fantastic idea.

Well, let's hope it doesn't catch on among the mammals!

But here on the seashore, we should always be ready

to expect the unexpected, because with every new tide,

more flotsam and jetsam washes up on the shoreline.

Like this swordfish. It was found on the Severn Beach on June 13th.

It is very unusual, but swordfish do pop up

from time to time on our shores.

And this is a Kemp Ridley turtle.

It is one of the rarest turtles

in the sea. There's only 1,000

breeding females left in the world.

But one was washed to shore

on Greencliff Beach in Devon.

Back in June, it was the arrival of huge jellyfish on our shores

that made the headlines. Take a look at this.

Hundreds were washed up on our beaches on the South Coast.

It was likened to an alien invasion,

but should we really be in fear of these creatures?

Richard Taylor-Jones went to investigate.

I bet loads of you have walked along our shores in the summer

and found a jellyfish just like this.

Perhaps you have got your phone, taken a quick snap of it

to show your friends and then moved on without thinking

any more about it. But do you know what?

I think jellyfish are absolutely fascinating

and one of the most interesting visitors to our coast this summer.

There are over 200 species of true jellyfish in the world

and we have six that are regularly seen in UK waters.

They are renowned for being deadly if you get stung,

but actually ours are all pretty friendly, although you would

certainly feel a sting if you ran into this lion's mane jellyfish.

They seem alien, unlike any other life form we know.

So to help understand them,

let's look at an animal easily found whilst out rock-pooling.

The beadlet anemone.

Anemones are from the same group of animals that jellyfish are -

they are all called cnidarians.

And cnidarians have stinging cells called nematocysts,

often on tentacles.

When you get them out of the water, both jellyfish and anemone

look like a lump of gunk.

As did this one until I put it in the tank.

When I put it in the tank,

I started a time-lapse running with this camera and you can see

from the image that tentacles suddenly spread out, allowing those

nematocysts to try and hunt out microscopic prey

floating through the water.

Essentially, jellyfish do exactly the same thing

but they're not stuck to a rock, they're floating out there at sea.

Jellyfish are actually able to swim.

They have an umbrella-like structure with muscles running through it

that contract rhythmically.

However, they are not strong swimmers.

Having only a small amount of control over their orientation

and little else, generally they are swept along by ocean currents.

Whilst often seen on their own, they can turn up en masse

on our UK beaches, which has been happening an awful lot this year.

I've come to meet jellyfish expert Cathy Lucas to find out why

we've been getting so many sightings.

Because it's been quite nice over the winter, that has enabled

probably more individuals to survive, breed quite extensively,

and it might be that the water currents that come in off the Atlantic

and flow up the English Channel are quite strong this year and

that might be bringing a lot of them further into the English Channel.

So what are the consequences of these larger numbers

of jellyfish in our waters?

Jellyfish are actually quite good food for things like turtles

and also fish and sunfish as well.

But they themselves eat plankton

and also the larvae of a lot of fish species, and so they are

going to be competing with fish for the plankton food resource.

So they can have quite a dramatic impact on the natural food web.

In terms of how they impact tourism, if a lot of jellyfish

are being stranded up on the beach, people don't like to see

jellyfish, or they certainly don't like to go swimming amongst them.

I guess I can't finish without asking you a question

that's probably on everyone's minds -

are jellyfish going to be harmful to you?

In the vast majority of cases, the answer is absolutely not.

There are a couple of species in UK waters that have quite a nasty sting,

so the lion's mane and the mauve stinger, but they're not dangerous.

It's been great to hear about all these animals

but as a wildlife cameraman, what I really want to do is see them.

There have been dozens of sightings of huge barrel jellyfish -

one of the biggest jellyfish we get in the UK -

off Bournemouth Beach,

so I have raced down with my camera to see if I can find them.

'After the first hour, I'm not feeling hopeful.'

So far, not so good.

The water is relatively cloudy

and quite choppy

so it's really quite hard to see

what's down there.

'The chances of finding one seem quite slim.

'But just a couple of minutes later, everything changes.'

Whoa, whoa, whoa, we've got one. Look at that.

With no time to waste, I get into the water

and the jellyfish's size is quickly apparent.

It's enormous.

The barrel jellyfish is one of the largest to visit our shores.

And it can grow to almost a metre in diameter.

And weigh up to 35 kilos.

The edge of its bell-shaped body is covered in blue organs

called statocysts, which help with balance,

and it has eight thick arms covered in frills, which are tiny

tentacles used to catch prey.

It's a beautiful sight

and I can't quite believe I've managed to film one.

An enormous barrel jellyfish was right beneath me there.

Incredibly close!

It's just such a wonderful way to enjoy these magnificent creatures

that visit our summer shores.

HE LAUGHS

Yes!

Wherever you are in the world, including here in the UK,

there are always, unfortunately, marine species under threat.

Often their future depends on the hard work of conservationists

working around the coast.

Something they know all about in the Solent.

In 2013, Countryfile's Ellie Harrison joined a project

hoping to save a prized seashore creature.

This is Fareham Creek.

At low tide, the mudflats stretch as far as the eye can see.

I'm on the hunt for one of our most threatened native shellfish.

But to find out if they are here, I need to head out there -

not as easy as you might think.

What I'm hoping to see are native oysters.

In its heyday, the Solent had one of the largest natural populations.

They were harvested and shipped to London and Paris

to meet the demands of high society.

But since 2000, they've been in decline.

'Jolyon Chesworth is running a project

'to try and gauge accurate numbers.'

Some extraordinary footwear you've got here. That's right.

These are mud shoes and it's what we wear when we go out onto

the mudflats and carry out surveys, to help stop us sinking.

They're based on the design of herons' feet,

and they have these expandable wings so, when you put your foot down,

the pressure lifts the wings up, and helps evenly spread your weight

and stops you going too far into the mud.

That's the wrong way round, Ellie.

You need to turn them round and slip them on like normal shoes.

There's nothing normal about these shoes! Nearly there.

A real tighten... There we go. Perfect.

I was born into them!

Shall we give them a try? Yeah, let's go. OK.

SHE LAUGHS

I feel like a clown.

'It is tough going in the mud, but it's the only way to find them.'

# Giant steps are what you take

# Walking on the moon

# I hope my legs don't break... #

This is loads of work, Jolyon.

Why do you do it? This area has been recommended for protection

through a marine conservation zone for native oysters,

but it hasn't progressed because there's a lack of evidence

to suggest that they are here in enough numbers

to actually designate this site,

so what we're going to be doing over the coming months

is to be going out, looking for them, monitoring them and gathering

the evidence to make sure that this site does get designated.

We're not going to do the whole patch today?

No. We're just going to have a little recce today.

Cool. We are against the tide, so let's get on with it, shall we?

'For a full survey, Jolyon will be out here for up to six hours

'and will cover around two miles.'

So, what you've found there, Ellie, is a Pacific oyster,

and a large one at that.

The reason you can tell the difference between a Pacific

and a native oyster is,

the Pacific oysters, they have

quite a sharp point and they fan out,

and they have a very

corrugated rim to them.

The native oysters, as we'll hopefully find later,

are a lot smoother and flatter.

'Jolyon records all Pacific oyster sightings

'to keep track of their numbers too,

'because they're a known invasive species.'

Are they a problem, then, for our native oysters?

Well, in some areas possibly. In this area,

we don't have them in such numbers that they are likely to compete.

Also, the native oysters, they prefer, generally,

deeper water, whereas these prefer shallow, intertidal areas,

so their ranges don't necessarily overlap.

'It doesn't take long before we find what we're looking for.'

Here we've got a native oyster, sometimes called a flat oyster,

because it has a very flat shell to it.

You can see it is quite a different shape from the Pacific. It is.

It's much rounder. It's much smoother.

Obviously, this one is a lot smaller

but that's because it's quite a few years younger than this one.

These can get, like you say, quite a bit bigger,

so the size isn't the giveaway. No.

So, this is probably a year or two old,

whereas that one is probably more like seven years.

'Hopefully, Jolyon can find enough native oysters to get these

'mudflats protected, ensuring their survival for years to come.'

LINDSAY: Fareham Creek is still awaiting designation,

but the UK does have 277 Marine Protected Areas,

so a few weeks ago, I went to visit one of the most famous.

This is Lyme Bay, an area renowned for its seafood.

In the 1990s, the seabed here was suffering.

Heavy fishing gear used for beam trawling and scallop-dredging

were scouring the sea floor, affecting the bay's famed sea fans,

the juvenile scallops trying to grow here,

and the whole ecosystem surrounding them.

Fishermen and scientists were concerned,

so they came together with a common purpose -

to protect the bay for future generations.

In 2008, Lyme Bay became Britain's largest Marine Protected Area -

60 square miles of sea that is off limits to fishing practices

like trawling and dredging.

But the question is, has it made any difference?

Hi, Adam. Hi, Lindsey.

'Adam Rees is one of a team of scientists

'from Plymouth University Marine Institute,

'who've been studying the area for eight years.

'We're heading into the middle of the Marine Protected Area

'to look at one of the sites that he studies.'

So, what have we got here, Adam?

This is our baited underwater static camera that sits on the seabed

to monitor the mobile species.

So that's the camera there. What's that bit on the end?

That's the bait to attract all the species in. OK, I see.

And I guess it just goes straight off the back? Away we go. OK.

'Adam uses this technique to monitor the seabed every summer,

'sampling 24 sites within the bay.'

How far down does it go?

I think we are about 25 metres here.

'To survey each site, the camera stays down for 40 minutes

'so, while we wait,

'he shows me what the bay looked like seven years ago.'

So, this is some of the footage we gathered

back in 2008.

'You can clearly see from this footage

'the sea floor looks completely barren and lifeless.

'This is not how it should look.'

Basically, a lot of these sensitive species underwent varying

degrees of damage, and some of the most sensitive species were removed.

'These were species like pink sea fans, Ross corals and scallops.

'Trawling had severely damaged much of their rocky reef habitat

'on which so much life depends, but was it beyond repair?'

Many of these species are particularly sensitive to

trawling activities.

These species are now starting to show signs of recovery.

Pink sea fans, Ross corals are starting to look bigger

and starting to be in higher abundance

than they were back in 2008.

'So it's time to pull up the camera and see what we've got today.'

So, I can see, I think, the bait here. Yes, that's it.

What have we got? A fish there?

You can see a small school of whiting here.

You can also see a scallop in the foreground.

Right in the foreground. Look at that!

And a starfish starting to creep in...

..along with a conger eel. Wow.

Is this a conger eel just coming in here? This is a baby conger eel.

'Conger eels are a rare sight.

'This is only the second they've seen this year.'

And a dogfish. Look at that!

It's stunning, isn't it?

So many different types of species

all around that one bit of bait. I think we got lucky.

Yeah, I think we did.

'It's actually not just luck.

'Seeing so many species in just 40 minutes is a remarkable sign

'of how the reef and the species it supports are all recovering.

'Scientist Adam isn't the only person noticing a difference

'to the ecosystem in Lyme Bay.

'John Warswick has been hand-diving for scallops in the area since 1999.'

These are the scallops? Do you mind if I pick one up?

No, help yourself. Wow, look at this. It's beautiful.

So, what's the size like, compared to before?

Because that looks quite good. That's a really good-sized scallop.

This one here, that's a just sizeable one.

As you can see,

if you put them together, that's obviously had another year,

maybe a year and a half to grow,

and that's the sort of difference.

We are getting far more of that size than of that size.

It's quite a considerable difference, isn't it? Yes.

And catches have improved from sort of 50 dozen a day

to sort of 80, 90 dozen.

And obviously, the bigger they are, they're worth more as well.

'Lyme Bay Reserve isn't just about conserving

'the 1,300 species of marine flora and fauna that are found here,

'but also about protecting traditional fishing communities,

'because fish stocks, on which livelihoods depend,

'are now improving.'

I think that when we come to the seaside,

we should consider what lies just offshore.

The sea needs our help and Marine Protected Areas are just one way

of ensuring that our thriving seashores continue into the future.

So encouraging to see the sea floor just teeming with life again.

And it was really interesting for me to see

that footage of our underwater world. It's incredible.

And there's also been some really good news this year

in British seas further afield.

You may not have heard of the group of four volcanic islands

called Pitcairn.

They form the last Overseas British Territory in the Pacific.

The fantastic news is that the UK Government has just given the

go-ahead to establish the largest marine reserve in the world here.

The 322,000-square-mile zone is expected to

ban commercial fishing and become

a marine sanctuary for hundreds of species of fish, algae and coral.

The hope is that these species will act as lungs for the rest of

the world's oceans, breathing new life into areas

affected by human activity.

Rock-pooling is an ideal way of introducing marine life to

younger members of the family,

and once you've caught the rock-pooling bug,

it remains a lifelong obsession, as Hugh knows all too well.

Rock-pooling is a classic British summer pastime.

As a kid I would spend hours delving deep into the seashore pools.

And, yep, that's me.

Nothing beats a summer's day wading through the shallow water,

lifting up rocks and revealing otherwise hidden wildlife.

# When the weather's fine

# We go fishin' or go swimmin' in the sea. #

I've been clambering around on Britain's rocky beaches

sticking my nose into rock pools for as long as I can remember.

And I love it just as much now as I did when I was a kid.

It's still the best possible way to get acquainted with Britain's

amazing marine life.

The great thing about rock pools is that they're such an easy

window into our remarkable marine world.

There are weird and wonderful creatures hiding under every

nook and cranny.

If you take an even closer look, there's high drama to be seen.

Anemones using their poisonous tentacles to try

and capture shrimps.

Limpets fending off predatory starfish.

And feisty crabs always battling for space.

Even more surprising is that these rock pools can also give us

a perspective on wider aspects of our world.

On Hannafore Beach in Cornwall, Dr Nova Mieszkowska is dabbling

in rock pools in the name of science to learn more about climate change.

And there's one little species called

the toothed top shell that can help her.

I want you to put as many of these into this

bag as you can in three minutes. OK, well, I'm ready to go.

Am I trying to break a record here? You're trying to break my record.

OK, and what's your record? My record for here would be about 150.

In three minutes? In three minutes. I'll never do that.

Ready, steady, go!

Ooh, I've found a real treasure trove here.

It's a hot spot all right.

'This survey may seem like a bit of fun, but if we find more

'shells here than last year,

'it's an indicator that our seas are warming.'

How long have I got?

A minute and a half left.

I've got to average almost one a second, haven't I? Yes.

I don't know if I'm doing that.

Three, two, one, stop! Right.

How does that look?

Very impressive for a first effort. I think I'd have you on my team.

Time to count and measure every one.

Yeah. 18.5.

Yeah. 19.4, and last, but by all means not least, 19.1.

Wow! 12 columns, 17 entries in each column. 204? It is, isn't it?

I think you broke my record!

Well, I don't know what to say, but the fact that I've collected

so many here today doesn't necessarily mean that I'm

a quicker top shell picker than you, does it? No.

What we're actually seeing with your results is part of

a longer-term trend, cos each time we come and visit this site

and survey it, we're seeing more and more of them.

In 2002, we were only getting 20 or 30 per bag.

Really?

Well, these are very good early warning indicator species

of change because they react so quickly to climates.

But also, they're the basis of the entire food web,

so what we see here cascades up the food chain, and then eventually

we'll see the impact in the fish and the mammals.

It's not just top shells.

Nova monitors barnacles and limpets

as they also act as warm-water indicators.

So rock pool science isn't just about what happens along the shore,

it can tell us about whole ecosystems and food chains.

More than just a fun pastime,

rock-pooling also reveals our hidden sea shell superheroes.

Tiny creatures that are nevertheless helping scientists to save our seas.

Well, I'll never overlook a toothed top shell again.

Remember, if you go rock-pooling,

please follow the seashore code of conduct.

Always put rock pool creatures back in the place where you found them.

If you move rocks, make sure they go back the same way up

and in their original position.

Seaweed can take years to grow so don't remove

it from its anchorage, and look after yourselves too.

Make sure you're wearing sensible shoes and keep

an eye on the tide times.

That's all from Lulworth Cove today,

but don't forget to check out our website for inspiration

and conversation to help you make contact with the incredible

sea life on our shoreline.

We're back tomorrow,

when we'll be taking a look at the most British of our marine mammals.

Never mind a bulldog, I'm taking a dip with the grey seals of Lundy.

One was just nibbling my fins

while the other was trying to steal my camera.

It was like a cunning double act.

And I'm helping to return a rescued seal pup to the sea.

Off he goes! Heading straight back into he sea.

But for now, we'll leave you with some

inspiring scenes of wildlife from around our UK shoreline.

See you tomorrow.