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In Lincolnshire, the long coastline and the two estuaries of the Humber and The Wash are vitally important for wildlife - vast numbers of wading birds and wildfowl inhabit the sand and mudflats; sandbanks provide important nursery grounds for commercial fish species including plaice, cod and sole; and saltmarsh covers over 4,000 hectares - almost 10% of the national resource.
Nationally important nature reserves protect our coastal wildlife in the Humber, The Wash and the open coast but out to sea there is little protection. Only 2% of UK seas are protected for wildlife, and less than 0.001% is fully protected from all damaging activities.
The Wildlife Trusts', together with WWF, the Marine Conservation Society and RSPB, have campaigned for ten years for better protection of marine habitats and wildlife, as well as improved management of activities at sea. The Marine and Coastal Access Act, November 2009, will bring about new laws allowing the creation of a network of ecologically coherent Marine Protected Areas.
The future of our marine life?
Now, the journey really begins. We have in place the necessary legislation to allow the creation of an ecologically coherent network of Marine Protected Areas. This network will be implemented through four regional Marine Conservation Zone projects – the North Sea project is called Net Gain. Our job is to ensure the MPA network is established with wildlife at the heart, protecting not only the rare and threatened but a range of marine species and habitats. Through input into the Net Gain project we will provide information and data supporting the establishment of Marine Conservation Zones.
However, we cannot do this alone. We need your help to achieve our vision of Living Seas - where wildlife thrives from the depths of the ocean to the coastal shallows, recovers from past declines and adapts to climate change and where people feel inspired by marine wildlife and the value the sea has on their quality of life.
Help us do this and join us on our journey towards Living Seas by:
- Getting outside and exploring your marine environment, visiting a local coastal nature reserve.
- Telling others what’s out there, helping us promote the marine environment
- Sending us underwater photographs, videos or your stories of the sea
- Or by attending events or helping volunteer to collect valuable information that will highlight areas of marine life in need of protection.
Lincolnshire’s Living Sea
- The Lincolnshire coast is a largely flat coastal plain consisting of long sandy beaches, sand dunes, saltmarsh and brackish lagoons, supporting many national and internationally important species, such as the natterjack toad.
- Ragworms, catworms, lugworm and sand mason worms make their home in the sand low on the shore.
- These sandy plains continue out into the sea, providing important nursery areas for sole. Further still, the plains become the 40m high sandy mountains of Dogger Bank. Here millions of sand eels shoal together, diving into the sand at the nearest hint of danger.
- The Wash provides an important nursery ground for many species of fish including plaice, herring and cod, alongside vast beds of cockles and mussels.
- Out at sea, large flocks of common scoter and other seabirds winter off the coast attracted by the abundance of tasty molluscs.
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The Lincolnshire coast also boasts one of England’s most exciting natural spectacles. Every autumn, at Donna Nook, seals haul out onto the beach to give birth to their white, fur covered pups. This annual event attracts thousands of visitors each season.
The Marine Campaign
2010
On 19 January, The Wildlife Trusts officially launched the vision for Living Seas at Westminster.
2009
Thursday 12 November 2009 - The Marine and Coastal Access Bill receives Royal Assent and becomes an Act.
On 13 May 2009, six representatives from the Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust joined delegates from four organisations at Westminster to lobby for increased protection for marine wildlife within the Marine and Coastal Access Bill currently going through Parliament. The team met and discussed the Bill with Gillian Merron MP, Edward Leigh MP, Elliot Morley MP, Ian Cawsey MP, Sir Peter Tapsell MP and Mark Simmonds MP.
2008
UK Government announces intention to include Marine Bill in the autumn 2008 Queen’s Speech (which announces new Bill intended to go before Parliament in the next session) and publishes Draft Marine Bill. This is the third full public consultation on the Bill. The Bill is also scrutinised by a dedicated parliamentary committee.
In July and August 2008, the Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, Lincolnshire and Yorkshire Wildlife Trusts joined forces to embark on a special journey accompanied by a life-sized model of a European sea sturgeon. They re-traced a ‘migration’ from the UK’s most inland village (Coton-in-the-Elms in Derbyshire) to the sea visiting various nature reserves, including Far Ings, along the way. The touring production company, The Desperate Men, entertained visitors and told the tale of the sturgeon.
3 December 2008 - the Marine Bill is in the Queen's Speech at last!
On 3 December 2008 the Queen announced that Government will introduce the Marine & Coastal Bill this session: "My Government will bring forward measures to protect the environment for future generations. A bill will be introduced to manage marine resources and to create a new right of public access to the coastline."
The Bill, now called the Marine & Coastal Access Bill, proposes an ambitious new approach to managing the marine environment which will include establishing Marine Conservation Zones, a Marine Planning system, inshore fisheries reform, streamlining of licensing, establishment of a Marine Management Organisation (for England and UK matters) and coastal access provisions.
The Government bans scallop dredging in Lyme Bay on the south coast.
2007
2007 – UK Government publishes consultation on Marine Bill White Paper
In summer 2007, the Petition Fish went national! The Wildlife Trusts launched Petition Fish to MPs on 5 June 2007 in the House of Commons. 50 MPs attended the event and signed ‘scales’ to demonstrate their commitment to the Marine Bill. Throughout the summer hundreds of Petition Fish were taken to Wildlife Trust events around the country.
In October 2007, representatives from Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust took seven Petition Fish, complete with over 2,000 signed scales to Westminster. Our Lincolnshire fish joined fish from around the UK as a special reception at the House of Commons hosted by Scunthorpe MP Elliot Morley. Petition Fish arrived from coastal and land-locked counties and the entire shoal had 150,000 scales each individually signed in support of protecting our marine environment.
2006
UK Government publishes Marine Bill Consultation.
The Trusts' Conservation Department responded in detail to the proposals outlined in the consultation documents.
At the Lincolnshire Show in June 2006, the Trust collected over 600 signatures in support of Highly Protected Marine Reserves. The signatures were all signed on the back of silver fish scales and stuck to a large cut-out of a fish. People were also asked to say which areas they would like to see protected. The Wash was high on the list of places in Lincolnshire (with 249 votes) as was the Humber (with 96 votes). Children at the Lincolnshire Show made Wish Fish by colouring in outlines of plaice, mackerel or skate and adding their wish for the oceans and marine life on the back. Many of them wished for their to be less litter on the beaches but high on the requests were also wishes for clean seas and less pollution, more fish in the sea and protection for whales and dolphins.
In February, a dead sperm whale was washed up on a beach at Skegness. In August, two northern bottlenosed whales were beached at Gibraltar Point National Nature Reserve, despite rescue attempts both animals died.
2005
UK Government commits to new marine legislation.
In March 2005, representatives from the Trust joined campaigners from all over the country at Westminster to urge MPs to back the Marine Bill.
The Lyme Bay fishing agreement breaks down, exposing wildlife-rich reefs to total destruction. Seabirds suffer a second year of breeding failure.
2004
There are mass breeding failures by UK seabirds. Wildlife-rich reefs in Ulster's Strangford Lough are wiped out by dredge trawlers.
2003
265 dolphins are found dead off the south-west coast. Scientists estimate 67,500 have died as bycatch in 15 years.
2002
The Wildlife Trusts publish two reports showing the threats to UK marine ecosystems and how science-based planning could avoid them.
500 common dolphins, drowned in high-speed seabass trawling nts, wash up on the beaches of England and north-west France.
2000
The Wildlife Trusts call for new marine legislation.
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| Discover Lincolnshire's Living Sea |
| Download the booklet which highlights some of the wonderful marine life off the Lincolnshire coast. |
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5.04MB |
The Wildlife Trusts' vision
for Living Seas |
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Download our Living Seas report to find out about our marine wildlife and our vision for the future of our seas.
Click on the image below and choose "Save", and then select a location on your hard disk to save the file to, from where you will be able to read or print the document. |
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3.54MB |
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| Achieving Living Seas |
| Download our factsheet to discover how we can achieve Living Seas through a network of Marine Protected Areas. |
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Note: You must have the free "Adobe Reader" program in order to view this document. If you do not then it is available here:
www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/ |
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