Seabird Stroll. Join our warden for a short walk along the coast path to the seabird colonies of Birds Rock, taking in the coastal flowers and other wildlife along the way. Every Sunday at 10am.

Seashore Safari. Explore the rockpools and strandline of Traeth y Dolau as the tide drops to reveal a hidden world. Wear grippy shoes that you don’t mind getting wet! Monday 6th May,12.00pm, Saturday 25th May 2.30pm, Sunday 26th May 3pm.

Marine Creature Creations. Make sea creatures from recycled materials – ask at the Boat Place about our drop in family craft workshops.

For all events, please meet by the red railings on the harbour wall. The coastal walks have some steep sections and uneven ground. We ask for a donation to help fund our wildlife awareness raising work (suggested minimum £1 per person). We cannot accept unaccompanied children on any of our events.

I attended the Cardigan Bay Local Action Group meeting, where we discussed improving the knowledge of marine heritage in Cardigan Bay – the sea played an important role to people’s livelihoods in the past, which have developed over time to incorporate nature conservation in order to continue sustainably.

My meeting with Jenny Higgins at CCW was very productive; identifying areas of their Action Plan where the management of the site can be further improved. All Relevant Authorities are now looking to their actions for 2012/13 ahead of the review in 2013 – as part of this I am currently working on updating the Management Scheme and Action Plan(s) for 2012.

I also enjoyed an afternoon with Laura and Sarah from Cardigan Bay Marine Wildlife Centre. The centre has a varied programme of work which adds a huge value to the management of the site on top of the regulatory work carried out by the Relevant Authorities. We hope to co-ordinate our actions so we can achieve greater things for Cardigan Bay – watch this space!

Media - I am in the process of producing a Media Guidance document as part of the management aims for promoting the site. The advice will be a short document with information on the SAC and its features to improve the consistency of information published about the SAC. It will also include ideas for improved promotion of the site, key messages to deliver, direction to further information sources and promote the use of the Ceredigion Marine Code.

Making new Contacts – I have an ever growing list of stakeholders and organisations whose work relates to Cardigan Bay SAC. I have had a great response from the emails I sent out for contact information and am looking forward to fostering some new partnerships for Cardigan Bay SAC!

In other news… the SAC Library continues to grow and I have a good list of literature to pursue to add to it.

Publications:

I have submitted a Cardigan Bay SAC page to Wikipedia to improve the online presence of information on the SAC – I hope this, alongside our twitter account and the blog, will publicise our site and improve the knowledge of marine conservation as a whole.

Further to last weeks gathering of research on Cardigan Bay SAC, I have been given some more papers by researchers at Bangor University to include in the SAC library. CCW hold many research documents on sites in Wales and next weeks task will be to identify those that will be a great addition to our library of research.

Projects:

I attended a meeting with John Turner from Bangor University to discuss research proposals for Cardigan bay SAC and Pen Llyn a’r Sarnau (PLAS) SAC (with my opposite number, PLAS SAC Officer, Alison Palmer-Hargrave). Ben Sampson from Ceredigion County Council also attended, and the meeting was very productive in maintaining the link between Bangor University and SAC management, as well as identifying research areas.

John also asked for the SAC Officers to identify any suitable research projects that could be used for Masters Theses – this could be a great opportunity for increasing our knowledge of the SAC. Ideas from any stakeholders of the SAC would be gratefully received – do you have a project in mind? Get in touch!

Possibilities:

Another outcome from the projects meeting was a chat with Alison, PLAS SAC Officer, after the meeting. She gave me an update on the activities she has been involved in organising – a brilliant array of educational events, school visits, instigating research and product deployments to improve the marine environment, and a very strong liaison/stakeholder group. These are a great asset to the SAC and I can already see the benefits of implementing some of these ideas in Cardigan Bay. Our obvious shortcoming will be funding, but this is something I intend to investigate fully. I can see the benefit of developing a project budget for the SAC – do you know of any funding opportunities? Do you have ideas for events? Are you a group that would like to be further involved in the stakeholder management of the SAC? Get in touch!

Get in touch!

Please feel free to use the comments box below, the “have your say” tab, or email me at j.kelly@ccw.gov.uk. It’d be great to hear from you!

Research: I began trawling for research conducted in or about Cardigan Bay SAC to create a ‘SAC Library’. Some very interesting papers on bottlenose dolphins, which I hope to put out on the website shortly (look out for the ‘SAC library’). I would love to see more research within our SAC to really boost our understanding – I hope the library will identify some gaps in our knowledge to provide some new research topics!

Reviews: With the Relevant Authority Group meeting approaching I began a review of my time in post, so far. A key focus of my time has been looking to improve our communications (this blog being a small part of it). We now have a Twitter account, a proposal for a Facebook account has been put forward, and I am contacting stakeholders to regain a network of contacts of people who live, work and play within the SAC.

Relevant Authorities: Friday saw my second Relevant Authorities Group meeting. This was a good chance to report back to the Group with my review and to discuss our strategy for the management of the site and my programme of work for the rest of my time in post.

Dolphins – Thursday saw a very early start in the dark to join Seawatch on a photo-identification Bottlenose Dolphin survey in Cardigan Bay SAC. Our 10 hour trip was a huge success clocking up sightings of around fifty individuals of all ages (approximately 20% of Cardigan Bay’s estimated population); including some young calves and very inquisitive juveniles*.  Dolphins were not the only delight on the day: Atlantic Grey Seals, Harbour Porpoise and Manx Shearwaters were also out in the SAC. Find out more about Seawatch’s research at: http://www.seawatchfoundation.org.uk/research.php#4

Dark nights - After such an early (and dark!) start to Thursday I can definitely feel Winter setting in but despite the shorter hours of daylight creeping in, the wildlife of Cardigan Bay SAC is still active. The headlands at Mwnt and New Quay are especially important dolphin feeding areas and well worth a trip to catch a sighting – and, if you are successful in spotting, let us know on the website!

Development – My other activity included gathering information for the newsletter, putting forward a business case for a Cardigan Bay SAC Facebook page to further develop the communications strategy, preparing for next weeks RAG meeting, and a very productive meeting with Environment Agency Wales about their Action Plan under the Cardigan Bay SAC Management Scheme.

Got a question for the SAC Officer or a member of the RAG? Want to suggest an idea to improve our communication with stakeholders? Have an idea or story for the newsletter? Get in touch!…Through the website:   “Have your say” tab or “comment” on your chosen topic. Or by Email (SAC Officer): j.kelly@ccw.gov.uk. Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter: @cardiganbaysac.

* Please adhere to the Ceredigion Marine Code when operating vessels within the SAC to help reduce disturbance and aid the conservation of marine mammal populations in the area. You can find a copy of the code at:

http://www.cardiganbaysac.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/ceredigion-marine-code-2010.pdf

Monday 24th October 2011

Hello everyone,

Welcome to the blog for Cardigan Bay Special Area of Conservation! Let’s begin with an introduction: I am Jennifer Kelly the newly appointed SAC Officer for Cardigan Bay SAC; working with the Relevant Authorities Group (RAG). I have moved from my hometown of Chester to Aberystwyth where I’m based with the Countryside Council for Wales in the WG building. I’m looking forward to getting out and meeting everyone that shares a passion for the marine environment and working in partnership to conserve the SAC!

Please feel free to contact me through any of the channels below for any information or any ideas you have! I hope to keep the blog going to keep you up to date on the management of the SAC as it’s happening; so please keep checking the website for updates, tell us what you think through our “Have your say” section and get involved with activities on the SAC.

You can now follow Cardigan Bay SAC on Twitter: @cardiganbaysac

Jennifer Kelly

 “Have your say” tab at www.cardiganbaysac.org.uk

Sunday 10^th Seashore Safari 11am

Friday 15^th Wildlife Walk 3pm

Sunday 17^th Seashore Safari 3.30pm

Friday 22^nd Wildlife Walk 3pm

Sunday 24^th Marine Creature Creations 3pm

Friday 29^th Wildlife Walk 3pm

Sunday 31^st Seashore Safari 2.30pm

Marine Creature Creations: Drop-in art workshops with a charge of £1 per child to cover the cost of materials.

Wildlife Walk: A slow walk along the Marine Heritage Coast taking in the Birds Rock lookout. A good chance to try and spot seals and dolphins as well as see other coastal wildlife on route. Occasional steep sections and uneven ground.

Seashore Safari: Explore the rockpools and strandline of Traeth y Dolau as the tide drops to reveal a hidden world. Wear grippy shoes that you don’t mind getting wet!

Please book at the Boat Place on New Quay harbour (01545 561074). We ask for a donation to help fund our wildlife awareness raising work (suggested minimum £1 per person). We cannot accept unaccompanied children on any of our events.

Liz Allan, recently retired Conservation Management Officer with Ceredigion County Council said “Jean Bryant and Geoff Browne got involved with Dolphin Watch when it first started in 1994, and I don’t recall them having missed more than one or two watches over all those years. At the time, Jean, with her late husband Alan, ran the New Quay Bird and Wildlife Hospital, and Geoff, with his late wife Yvonne owned the Sea Aquarium in Aberaeron, now the Harbourmaster Hotel. Both had played a major role in the establishment of the Marine Heritage Coast two years earlier, and it was this local community initiative that proved the catalyst for starting Dolphin Watch. It has been a real privilege and pleasure to have worked with such dedicated volunteers as Jean and Geoff. Both are passionate supporters of Ceredigion’s rich wildlife and they have contributed a huge amount over the years to further the aims of marine conservation in the county.”

Dolphin Watch volunteers give up two hours a week through the summer months to record activity at sea from one of five watch points from Mwnt to Aberystwyth. The vast amount of data that this has generated gives a unique insight into how dolphins are using the area, and crucially for their conservation, how they are interacting with boats. We now know, for example that around 10% of boats that come across dolphins at sea fail to comply with the Ceredigion Marine Code but that when boats do comply with the Code, dolphins are far more likely to stay in the area. By having reliable information about the areas that are of key importance for dolphins and where compliance with the Code is not as good, conservation staff with the Council have been able to focus their efforts on raising awareness with boaters.

If you are interested in joining Dolphin Watch as a volunteer, or want to know more about the marine wildlife of the area visit www.cardiganbaysac.org.uk or call Ben Sampson, Conservation Officer with Ceredigion County Council on 01545 561074.

Cardigan Bay is home to Europe’s largest resident population of bottlenose dolphins as well as breeding grey seals, seabirds and internationally important marine habitats. Much of the coastline is designated as SSSI and there are two marine Special Areas of Conservation. Ceredigion County Council runs a small wildlife and boating information centre on the harbour at New Quay (the Cardigan Bay Boat Place), a patrol boat to promote the code of conduct and wildlife friendly boating, coordinates Dolphin Watch, a long running programme monitoring marine mammals and boating activity, and in 2011, will be running a schools programme and a series of guided walks and shore events focusing on marine wildlife.

We are looking for volunteers to assist with all of these programmes, working with the Council’s small but friendly conservation team in New Quay. The programmes will be running from Easter weekend to the end of September, with Dolphin Watch starting in June. A number of positions are available and we are looking for a minimum commitment of two hours per week, but if you have more time available, we are particularly keen to hear from you.

We are looking for reliable, confident people with excellent interpersonal skills. It would be great if you have a good knowledge of our coastal wildlife, but don’t worry if you don’t feel confident in that respect – we are more than happy to help you get up to speed. To help with the boat you must be a confident swimmer, fit and healthy; again, don’t worry if you don’t have experience as basic training is provided.

Call Ben Sampson on 01545 572139 or email ben.sampson@ceredigion.gov.uk for more information.

Animals and plants that have been introduced to a place where they do not naturally occur are known as non-native species. Many of these live happily in the UK without causing a problem but a few become what’s called invasive.

Invasive species upset the balance of the ecosystem as they may be bigger, faster growing or more aggressive than the native species. They may also have fewer natural predators to control numbers. The native species are often unable to compete and fairly quickly the invasive species take over.

Wireweed (a seaweed from the Pacific) and Slipper Limpets (from the western Atlantic) are already well established within Cardigan Bay SAC but there are more threatening species on the horizon. The Carpet Sea-squirt (Didemnum vexillum) is a highly invasive non-native marine animal that could threaten conservation, fishing and the shellfish industry and has triggered a rapid response species alert.

Thought to be originally from Japan, it has become a pest in other countries by smothering native species and interfering with fishing, aquaculture and other activities.  It has recently been found in some marinas in England, Wales and Ireland and there are strong concerns that it will spread more widely, as it travels easily on the hulls of boats. The government’s risk assessment states:

“If introduced into Special Areas of Conservation (SACs), Didemnum vexillum could have a disastrous effect on species diversity leading to habitat destruction.”

As well as the risk to the environment and fisheries, the fast-growing carpet sea squirt can cause problems for boat owners too, fouling hulls, engines, moorings and other structures.

To find out more about invasive species and what you can do to reduce the risk of spreading them, see the attached information sheet and visit the GB Non-native Species website.