Answers to questions/concerns about the Seagrass Ocean Rescue Project – UPDATED 13/9/2019

In order to answer some of the questions asked and concerns raised over the last couple of months,

Swansea University, led by Dr Richard Unsworth, have prepared the following answers:

Subject Question Answer

Project related

What are the benefits of the project? Climate change – carbon sink Alongside supporting our marine life, seagrass stores carbon 30 times faster than rainforests, works to recycle nutrients and to provide us with oxygen. Fisheries Seagrass is a flowering plant that is adapted to living in the sea and is distinct from seaweed. The meadows they form provide key nursery areas for fish such as cod, pollock and plaice, as well as homes for shrimp, seahorses and pipefish. Studies have found that on average seagrass has 30 times more animal diversity than an adjacent sandy sea bottom and that 20 % of the world’s fisheries rely on seagrass as a nursery habitat to improve fish stocks. Recreational potential It is expected that the area containing the seagrass will benefit from improved water clarity enhancing local watersports activities (for example for snorkelling and SUP). Interest in Dale from Sky Ocean Rescue and WWF This project to restore seagrass is the first of its kind in the UK, placing Dale in the limelight and promoting its image as a community working towards a positive environmental future. The seagrass restoration can be an opportunity for enhancing biodiversity, fisheries and improving tourism appeal. It can demonstrate a partnership approach with community, site users, conservation, Sky, WWF all working together and showing how seagrass co-exists with fishers, moorings and other users of the area.

Why here? Dale bay offers a number of key features that seagrass requires to grow. It is a sheltered bay, with the right water quality, seabed conditions, depth and sufficient light levels for the meadows to grow. The area identified has also undergone high level constraints mapping indicating that there is room here for both new seagrass and existing activity. This is unlike alternative areas with more pressures, high nitrate levels and less available space. Historically the Milford Haven waterway has lost seagrass. In Dale the bay is highly likely to have naturally been home to a large seagrass meadow and all the creatures that live in them. We don’t actually have evidence to conclusively prove a large historic bed in Dale Bay and would welcome any community input to help answer this. A very small patch of natural seagrass was found here 2 years ago suggesting it was here previously.

Which other sites were considered and why was this one chosen?

No other sites further up in the Haven were considered as any potential sites further up the waterway have elevated nutrients and other disturbances that make the project riskier. We did, however, consider other localities in Wales including Saundersfoot, Freshwater East and Pwllheli. All those sites had higher exposure that would have placed

seagrass at elevated risk, particularly given the ‘demonstration’ nature of this project we wanted to be sure that the site wouldn’t be damaged by winter storms. Numerous individuals have proposed the use of castle bay as a potential seagrass restoration site. Whilst the southern end of the bay is well sheltered it is more exposed to swell coming around the headland than Dale bay, the area of soft sediment substrate is smaller and its deeper and the seabed is more sloping. Essentially the same reasons that boats don’t take up longer-term anchorage at the site. A number of people have also suggested Longoar bay as a site where seagrass already exists. Unfortunately, although conditions are great for seagrass in Longoar (and the meadow is quite healthy) the available space for this in terms of soft sediments and shelter are actually quite small, meaning that the area has already reached its limit. Other areas further into Sandy haven are far more influenced by the highly nutrient rich waters of the river and unsuitable for healthy seagrass to flourish.

Why isn’t it still here in abundance if it was here before? Why won’t it naturalise the area by itself?

Due to intensive activity in the waterway, particularly through war time and in the 1950’s a lot of the meadow areas were damaged beyond repair resulting in fragmented areas where damage has been sustained through time. The individual plants need a critical mass to enable recovery, and that just isn’t here at the moment; they need a little helping hand with extra seeds.

Why now? Swansea University have recently demonstrated that up to 92% of the UKs seagrass has disappeared. To promote the resilience of our coasts to climate change and to enhance our local fisheries we need to consider the potential for coastal habitat restoration. As a research body, Swansea University have been conducting sea trials to propagate seagrass seeds to seedlings in various ways and have reached a point where they are having consistent successes. Some of these trials have been in Dale proving that seagrass can survive here and thrive. Combined with the urgent action required to address the significant issues the planet faces with climate change and finding ways to address the human impact of carbon release, there is no better time than now. Importantly, Sky Ocean Rescue and WWF have stepped in to offer to help resource the restoration trial which is allowing faster progress to be made, and for the project to be properly inclusive of user and community interests.

Where exactly? Seagrass and boat moorings both need shallow but sheltered areas and so it is not surprising that they are often seen to compete for space. The exact area has not yet been chosen as we need to work with users of the area to establish the optimum project area that will enable existing activity to continue, not constrain future activity, and also be good for the seagrass. We are targeting depths between 0.5m and 3m.

Question from community (2/9/19 meeting): A clarification on the map shown in the presentation was asked for – whether the map shows new proposal?

Richard explained that the work on the exact area for planting has yet to be done, and the community will be consulted. A meeting was held this afternoon with some Dale Yacht Club representatives to discuss potential areas. The project has ‘gone back to the drawing board’ and are open to alternatives to the original box.

What will it entail? Planting the seagrass will entail laying lines of small hessian bags onto the seabed. All materials are natural fibres that rapidly degrade over a 6 to 12 month period. This will be done initially using a small boat and then divers will tend to the lines once laid to ensure they are well placed. Each of the hessian bags will contain a small amount of sand and some seeds. Each bag will contain approximately 50 seeds that will germinate over the spring and early summer period developing into small delicate seedlings. Over summer they will become more robust and form mature plants. The lines will be well anchored using sand bags and if required we will also use biodegradable ‘pegs’ so as not to cause any concerns. The plan is for them to be ideally laid in late autumn 2019. Given the proposed revised location of the site in subtidal area means that boat entanglement should not be a cause for concvern. Due to such concerns expressed by some boat owners about entanglement mean we have revised our plans and divers from Swansea

University will cut the lines into small sections (as they rot away) in early spring once the bags have become embedded into the sediments after the winter storms.

Question from community (2/9/19 meeting): How are hessian bags secured?

Richard: hessian ropes with hessian sandbags. The trials were with polypropylene rope and metal stakes.

Question/statement from community (2/9/19 meeting): It was brought up that there is a broad selection of stakeholders. The original plan may have been short-sighted? Going from table top sized experiment to 2ha of cultivated area. It was mentioned that Porthdinllaen pic shows scarring around moorings. It was asked whether there was seagrass in Dale prior to the 2017 trial? A 2015 paper, supervised by Unsworth, claims seagrass here ‘no longer exists’. It was stated that the Method Statement was not published. The NRW licence application mentions ‘using piling’. It was stated that mooring users have only been consulted for 10 days.

Richard answered: Regarding the 2015 paper- this was a thesis, and based on CCW surveys indicating where there was/ was not seagrass present. At this point the 1950s data point (anecdote) was not known. Richard stated that the seagrass patch in Dale is so well established that he would have been pleased had he planted it, however he had not, it was naturally occurring. It could be carbon dated, looking at carbon accumulated in the patch of seagrass. Trials took place with permission of NRW, and was communicated with Port of Milford Haven at the time. They were on very small scale, and not created with the vision of the current seagrass project in Dale. Originally the trials were based on Tidal Lagoon Power project proposal to plant in their lagoon. They looked at a series of sites on the Welsh coast. PCF explained that NRW licence conditions (piling) were standard conditions attached to all licences, and not all are relevant to this particular application. For clarification, it was confirmed that no piling would be used. Richard offered to share the Method Statement.

Question/statement from community (2/9/19 meeting): A fellow mooring colleague welcomed the carbon dating idea.

Richard explained that in 2015 there was no available survey data suggesting there was seagrass in Dale and as such a student project at Swansea University followed that assumption (Greg Brown, MSc student project). Other practitioners involved with marine assessment work in Milford haven would have likely agreed with that assumption. This reflects a global problem of not knowing seagrass locations across the world due to their growth in turbid estuaries and bays such as dale. The master’s thesis therefore stated – to the best of his knowledge at the time- that there was no seagrass in Dale. When the 2017 trial was started, the Swansea team came across a patch of ‘naturally growing‘ seagrass. There are a number of records in the literature of the presence of seagrass in Dale bay in the 1950’s and some unconfirmed observations that it had disappeared by the 1960’s. these observations are all listed in a report written by Quentin Kay in 1998 for the then CCW. The exact grid reference of the siting from the 1950’s (given historical map error) has uncanny proximity to the location of the present small patch of seagrass in Dale. *see below - full article available on request.

Statement from community (2/9/19

meeting): Richard explained that due to timescales of funding – early decisions were made, and that it was wrong to create the ‘box’ as shown. He apologised for any stress caused and would like to move forward with new proposals, speaking

Need to get to a position that sees a variation of footprint.

with NRW to look at further more suitable options for the licence. These options have now been provided to the Dale Community Council and Dale Yacht Club.

How does seed collection work?

We will be collecting over 1 million seeds. Swansea University in conjunction with a range of partner organisations around the UK are collecting seeding shoots of Zostera marina. We have been very lucky to benefit from the support of lots of volunteers to make this happen. Once these shoots have been collected they are taken to the aquaria facilities at Swansea where they are processed to separate the seeds from the leaf tissue.

How long will the demonstration project last?

The planting phase will last two years. First planting will ideally occur in Autumn/Winter 2019 with further planting throughout 2020 (as needed to ‘fill in’ areas where seeds have not taken root). Beyond those dates work will focus on monitoring and hopefully observing the meadow develop into maturity over a five year period. Swansea University, with partners, havecollected seed over the summer 2019, and will ideally need to plant out in Autumn/Winter this year to match with the plants’ natural lifecycle, as the colder winter temperatures help with germination. It is hoped the seagrass will then grow and develop over the next year. Where there are areas of failure, Swansea University will look to fill in. They have a programme to monitor and report over five years. If the restoration is successful the seagrass will be here forever, providing local benefits to local people.

What if the seagrass planting fails? If the seagrass doesn’t grow, Sky TV and WWF will have no return on their investment, but there will be no ecological impact. Any ropes or bags that remain undegraded for any reason on the seabed will be collected by divers from Swansea University and the ecosystem will be unchanged.

Why 2 hectares? Will you try and plant more?

It is thought that 2 hectares is a big enough and dense enough area at which seagrass becomes self-sustaining. Small areas are susceptible to disturbance and storms and do not have the critical mass to repopulate bigger areas. This project is limited at 2 hectares of cultivated area, the other activities in Dale take precedence and therefore we are working within the constraints posed by other activities. If successful, this project will be replicated in other areas in Wales and England.

Consideration of existing activity. We have provided 6 revised new planting options for consideration by the local community and users. Whilst we believe that planting wouldn’t interfere with boating or fishing activity, one of these options (number 6) is to the north of the mooring area and no longer interacts with any moorings.

What is risk of spread of invasive species? Seagrass planting involving seeds collected from other areas brings with it the risk of accidental invasive species introduction. Although the Haven itself is already a hotspot for invasive species, certain additional known species if introduced to the area could result in damage to Dale bay and the wider area. This is by far the most serious potential consequence of our seagrass project, and one that we have taken crucial steps to address. We have only been able to gain permission to undertake this project by NRW on the basis that all seeds will be treated/sterilised prior to placement in bags to prevent accidental colonisation of Dale Bay with larvae from invasive species. The Port Authority have been very explicit about this as a condition for their support.

Question from community (2/9/19 meeting): When will you start planting?

Aim was October and November. Will need to see if still possible. Some delay is possible in terms of project.

Organisations involved

What is Welsh Government’s involvement in the project?

Welsh Government is not directly involved in the project. The Seagrass Ocean Rescue Project is a partnership between Swansea University, WWF and Sky.

Natural Resources Wales will be the regulator for the project, granting the partners a license to plant seagrass. Both Welsh Government and NRW have been informed about the project and are supportive of its approach. They will continue to be kept informed of project progress.

What about local statutory organisations – are they involved?

Pembrokeshire County Council, Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority, Natural Resources Wales, Port of Milford Haven, and Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water are all involved in the management of the Pembrokeshire Marine Special Area of Conservation (that includes the whole of Dale bay) and are all aware of and supportive of the project. Their interaction with the project is primarily, but not solely, via the Pembrokeshire Marine SAC Officer. An invite will be extended to these organisations to be directly involved with the project via the Dale Community Seagrass Group (first meeting due 7th October).

Question from community (2/9/19 meeting): What do the Port of Milford Haven/ NRW think? See moorings in Longoar, no more anchoring?

Water Ranger POMH: Longoar is a voluntary no anchoring area. Although we’d rather not have people anchor here, to avoid disturbing seagrass, this is a voluntary agreement. Two visitor mooring buoys are provided for day use by vessels. Brian explained that it fell to his role to educate users about the seagrass if he came across vessels anchoring here, but he had never forced a vessel to move, simply informed them of the voluntary agreement and encouraged use of the mooring buoys for their next visit.

Why are WWF and Sky doing this rather than focussing on plastic?

Ocean health is declining. Many factors are affecting this, from plastics to climate change. We need to find solutions to lots of problems. Sky Ocean Rescue has multiple projects, looking at multiple factors including both plastic and, with this project, Seagrass meadow Restoration, amongst many others.

Community What is the benefit to the local community? Creating a seagrass meadow in Dale will enhance the biodiversity and help to increase fish, crab and shrimp numbers with some benefits to recreational and commercial fishers. We also anticipate that the area containing the seagrass will benefit from improved water clarity enhancing local watersports activities (for snorkelling and SUP). In the long-term as the seagrass grows and develops it will also help spread and reduce water movement and wave energy, improving coastal defence. Attention from Sky in particular could place Dale in the limelight and promote its image as a community working towards a positive environmental future. This could serve to improve tourism appeal; it will, at the least, raise the profile of Dale to potential visitors.

Statement from community (2/9/19 meeting): There was a thank you for the apology made that communication could have been clearer at the start.

It was explained that the team are trying to reach out to the wider community. Users of the area as well as local residents.

What engagement has happened to date? The project team is working with the community to address any concern raised. We acknowledge that earlier engagement would have been beneficial but were restricted at the time due to project set-up paperwork. A summary of engagement activity: In March 2019 Swansea University met with statutory stakeholders (NRW, Port of Milford Haven) In April Pembrokeshire Coastal Forum, supported by Pembrokeshire Marine SAC Officer was contracted to produce a stakeholder engagement plan (delivered in May). Advised early engagement with main users (Dale Yacht Club and fishers). Met with Dale Yacht Club (17th April) and main Dale fisher. It was hoped to start liaising with local stakeholders in June, but unfortunately delayed due to project start-up paperwork with funders. Dale Community Council presentation was given on 8th July. Followed by info stand presence at Dale Fete 26th July, project presentation to community on 31st July, drop-in meeting on 19th August, presence at RNLI fundraiser 24 August, Community meeting 2nd September. Further 1-1 meetings, phone calls and email conversations held in the meantime. Revised options were sent to Dale Yacht Club and Dale Community

Council on 6th Sept for review in committee meetings/ wider consultation by these bodies. The project information website was created in July, and hosted by Pembrokeshire Coastal Forum: https://www.pembrokeshirecoastalforum.org.uk/seagrassoceanrescue/ Invites to all meetings & events are sent to key stakeholders, those signed up to receive updates (via sign in forms at events) and displayed on posters in the village. Project updates have been published in Peninsular Papers.

Statement from community (2/9/19 meeting): No-one opposes seagrass. Need to make sure we are speaking to the right people?

It was explained that some people like meetings, others are feeding in through different mechanisms, such as 1-1 meetings, phone calls, email and feedback forms. Engagement to date: Dale Yacht club received presentation in April. Commercial fishers were approached in April for feedback Dale community council received a presentation on the 8th July. Information was published in Peninsular Papers (due to full summer edition this didn’t appear until September edition).

What will we be stopped from doing? This project will not result in people being stopped from doing any of their daily activities. The project team of WWF, Swansea University and Sky Ocean Rescue, supported by Pembrokeshire Coastal Forum and Pembrokeshire Marine SAC wish this project to be a collaboration with the local community and to demonstrate how seagrass restoration and conservation can work alongside local people and not in conflict.

Question from community (2/9/19 meeting): Can Dale village exist as is in the future?

Richard, Swansea University, explained that thinking about the future, we need to take actions now. Working together – as a local interest ‘management group’ to collectively make decisions. There is a set amount of funding. A management group can keep tabs on the project. The Pembrokeshire Marine SAC Officer explained that the SAC is not going away, regardless of Brexit. Government policy will remain as protected area.

Farming Will there be restrictions for farmers? This project will not create any restrictions for farmers. The area chosen has been assessed for nitrate levels and they were acceptable for seagrass restoration. Seagrass can actually be an important factor for mitigating the effects of surface run off as it actively uptakes nitrogen as part of its natural photosynthesis cycle and locks nitrogen in the seabed.

Fishing Will the fishers be stopped from fishing there?

Swansea University has been working with the fishers in the area. It is hoped to have a voluntary agreement to mark out and avoid any planting area (as applicable – dependant on option chosen) during the initial sowing and growing period (this autumn/winter) when shoots are at their most vulnerable. Beyond that period, fishing practices, such as keep pots gill net fishing and prawn pots are not seen to be damaging to seagrass in the same way as moorings or anchoring, especially if dragging of gear is minimised. The project does not intend to exclude fishing pots from seagrass areas.

What if the presence of seagrass leads to the loss of fishing revenue?

Firstly, we will work as closely as is required with local fishers to ensure that their activity is not reduced in any way by our activities. All the available evidence suggests that the opposite is likely to happen, seagrass will benefit fisheries catches. For example, in places in the US where restoration has been successful, crab fisheries have increased in line with seagrass recovery. Seagrass results in a higher settlement of invertebrate larvae such as shrimp and other crustaceans leading to an area that attracts bigger fish for feeding. Where seagrass is inter-mixed with

other habitats this role is enhanced as many fish typically like to move in and out of different habitat types with respect to tides and time of the day and follow habitat edges.

Moorings & boat use

Will the project be located in the existing area for moorings?

Following feedback on the initial proposed location, the project team is working with the community, including mooring holders, fishers and other interests to find alternative suitable areas to plant the seagrass. Mooring servicing activities and positions can continue as they always have.

How much of the mooring area could sea grass establish itself in?

All of the area could potentially be covered except for the areas where the moorings actually sit, as the chains wouldn’t allow for seagrass to develop and grow as it is easily torn and disturbed by a rotating chain (this is commonly referred to as a mooring ‘scar’ where moorings exist within established beds). There are many meadows all around the world that sit within boat moorings with no impact upon the boats (see examples mentioned below). As mentioned above, the project will plant 2 hectares of seagrass, over time this might spread, but we don’t know. Given the seabed conditions and light levels in Dale it is expected to grow to no more than 70cm. Its spread will be limited by water depth, as it only grows where light levels are high enough. We expect this to be up to 3m depth. If it does spread, it will clearly demonstrate how boating, fishing and conservation can successfully co-exist.

At lower states of tide how much prop fouling will happen when the sea grass is mature?

Seagrass exists in thousands of harbours and ports around the world and does not clog engines, block intakes, or prevent their safe navigation. Poole Harbour, the Solent, Plymouth Sound and Falmouth Harbour are all places where boat traffic is high yet seagrass is abundant. The biomechanical traits of Zostera marina indicate that it breaks or tears readily. Therefore, it is the seagrass that is likely to be damaged in the event of a collision with a propeller and certainly not the boat. In fact seagrass is far weaker in mechanical strength than most species of seaweed currently present in Dale Bay. In many places where (unlike Dale) boaters drive rapidly at low tide (such as the Florida Keys) they commonly hit shallow sand banks containing seagrass, this damages the seagrass and not the boat. The general respect of boaters in Dale for low speeds means this is unlikely to be a problem. Seagrass will only come close to contact with a boat at low tide, during which time a boat will be moving slowly in order to reduce the likelihood of grounding the engine and so it should create no difficulties. Depending on the locality of the planting the chances of such contact should be very low. When a boat engine moves over shallow seagrass the force of propulsion is far more likely to result in the seagrass being pushed to the side than being ripped apart. The only point at which ripping will happen is when the propeller hits the seabed resulting in the seagrass roots becoming ripped up and torn.

What about oxidation of sediments by seagrass and influence on mooring chains?

Concerns have been raised about the oxidation of the sediments by seagrass and its influence upon moorings chains left to winterize. Whilst sediment oxidation is an important benefit of seagrass, it is very well documented how this is a very local effect around the plant, and even within centimetres of the seagrass edge the sediment will then become anoxic and sulphurous. As seagrass will not grow around the base of a mooring, any chains left to winterize will not be affected by the sediment oxidation.

Question from community (2/9/19 meeting): Will seagrass lead to more oxygen in the sediment?

Whilst seagrass leads to more oxygen, this has not been a problem elsewhere. Note from Richard added following meeting- Whilst sediment oxidation is an important benefit of seagrass its very well documented how this is a very local effect around the plant, and even within centimetres of the seagrass edge the sediment will then become anoxic and sulphurous. As seagrass will not grow around the base of a mooring any chains left to winterize will not be affected by the sediment oxidation.

Question from community (2/9/19 meeting): What is the future of more visitor moorings?

There are visitor moorings maintained by Rudders in Dale Bay. It was mentioned that liability insurance is the difficulty, as expensive. Rudders maintain the moorings at Longoar.

Future Will the area be restricted in any way? There will be no formal or legal restrictions on the site, however we hope to work closely with local fishers to prevent gear being placed directly on the young shoots during the initial period of development. The team hope to work with a community group ‘managing’ the seagrass area.

Will we be able to swim, sail, motorboat, snorkel over it?

Once the seagrass seed bags have been laid, there will be no hinderance to snorkellers, swimmers or boats. All we ask is that people take care not to disturb the bags, however we anticipate that all boats going over will be travelling slowly due to the moorings and the shallow depth.

Will the seagrass spread? The project will plant 2 hectares of seagrass, over time this may spread. Its spread will be limited by water depth though, as it only grows where light levels are high enough. We expect this to be up to 3m depth. If it does spread, it will clearly demonstrate how boating, fishing and conservation can successfully co-exist. Evidence from other restoration projects and from areas where seagrass has recovered indicates that seagrass doesn’t spread rapidly. Although conditions in Dale are suitable for seagrass the water is still turbid, meaning that seagrass is unlikely to be super charged and start spreading. Even if it were to spread further this would be unlikely to occur at rates anything less than decades or longer.

The concern of rapid and extensive spread of seagrass.

Community members expressed concern that seagrass will grow so rapidly and become so extensive that it dominates the bay and prevents all other activity taking place. Whilst conditions for seagrass in Dale are good they are far from excellent, therefore it is very unlikely that seagrass would rapidly extend. In places where the water clarity is high, seagrass does cover a lot of the soft sediment habitat but not all, for example in the isles of Scilly where the water is mostly crystal clear seagrass is extensive, however this has not restricted any activities, in fact the isles of Scilly are a yachting, fishing and general boating hot spot and this extensive seagrass (hundreds of hectares in extent) does not interfere.

Question from community (2/9/19 meeting): What if seagrass spreads across the Bay, what is the back stop?

Richard explained there would not be anything in his view to be liable for. Seagrass will stabilise sediment, reduce wave energy, improve water quality, store carbon, improve biodiversity – all positive effects. There will never be seagrass directly under the moorings, due to the scouring effect of the mooring chain, but this was not seen to be a negative impact for the project as it was an expected impact; rather any seagrass spread was seen as a bonus. Richard explained he believed there would be no negative impact of seagrass here.

Question from community (2/9/19 meeting): It was asked whether ‘seagrass would run ‘amuck’

What can you tell me about how cultivated seagrass develops? Will it be like an invasive species, choking the Haven. Richard answered that seagrass is a group of marine plants. Zostera marina, the seagrass we are talking about here, exists in the entire Northern hemisphere. It exists in Gelliswick by the LNG terminal and further up the Haven. It is not invasive. POMH had raised concerns of fears of other invasive species coming in with the seagrass seeds, which is why extensive procedures are being undertaken to eliminate this risk. Zostera marina struggles to recover when decimated, which is why intervention is required. Unless we intervene – it won’t come back. Dale is an exemplar site. If it would spread, this would be great. In reality evidence does not suggest it would. In Chesapeake, USA, 1000s of hectares have been restored. Patches did not spread and they need to keep adding. The Pembrokeshire Marine SAC officer explained that licensing can take a long time and therefore projects need to apply well in advance. POMH explained it is reasonable to apply for licences with some flexibility.

Question from community (2/9/19 meeting): This would still be ok.

Lifting moorings to service.

Question from community (2/9/19 meeting): Not all moorings are lifted.

Dragged moorings can still be dragged in. POMH made it clear that moorings servicing is important and moorings need to remain to be maintained.

Concerns around seagrass accretion.

A concern was raised that seagrass accretes so much sediment that the bay fills up. Whilst seagrass does accrete sediment, this is very slow and unfortunately this is much slower than rising sea levels that are already recorded to be rising and predicted to be at least 30cm above what they were in 2000 in Milford Haven by 2050.

What if seagrass is so successful in Dale that Welsh Government/NRW wish to turn it into a highly protected MPA that could threaten use of the area?

The area is already in the Pembrokeshire Marine Special Area of Conservation (SAC). Additional protection is brought in to areas if something is perceived to require protection due to threats that are there. The project is working with users to ensure that existing use is part of the project and so will not be regarded as a negative or ‘threat’. Swansea University and WWF would like this project to be an example of how users such as fishers, mooring holders, commercial and recreational users can co-exist in an area, without a need for specific protection. The project team is seeking assurances from the Minister for Environment, Energy and Rural Affairs. We don’t believe that seagrass planted in Dale would become a highly protected MPA for the following reasons:

• If seagrass was successful in Dale that would have happened with the community and existing use part of that environment and couldn’t therefore be considered a threat to the seagrass.

• Due to the relatively small size of this seagrass meadow (2 hectares) as a restoration demonstration its strategic value relative to marine conservation of other much bigger sites is low. For example, seagrass in Porthdinllaen is 28 hectares.

• Seagrass meadows around the UK are centres of boating activity with very limited legal restrictions present anywhere. This includes large areas in the following sites – Porthdinllaen, Fowey harbour, Plymouth Sound, Falmouth Harbour, Helford River, St Marys Harbour (Scilly), Torbay, Strangford Lough, Isle of Wight, Solent.

• No government or local administration has taken any active steps to prevent boating activity in sites of established seagrass, including at sites now controlled as MCZs (e.g. Torbay, Studland), some action has been taken at a small scale to change some moorings to eco-friendly versions but this is minor, non-compulsory, unenforced and highly unlikely to be scaled up. At Studland Bay (see later discussion) where the seagrass area has been turned into an MPA the Yachting community are so well organised and in dispute about this action that it is highly unlikely due to the terms of the MPA creation (to maintain the MPA at the status quo) to result in a change of boating activity.

• The only existing legal restrictions of boating activity relevant to areas of seagrass within the Pembrokeshire Special Area of Conservation relate to bylaws to prohibit access to the LNG terminals due to their status as Nationally Significant Infrastructure. The areas of Seagrass in Longoar Bay (Sandy Haven) are not legally enforced and are only voluntary no anchor areas. The no anchor area in North Haven, Skomer Island, has long been established and respected by boat users. This too is via a code of conduct rather than a statutory measure and users are provided with visitor moorings for their convenience to mitigate for the no anchoring area (users can also anchor north of the seagrass and within South Haven).

• Analysis carried out by NRW and JNCC finds the conservation coverage of seagrass to be well represented in the existing network of MPAs (based on the OSPAR ecological network coherence principles) indicating no intention to enact further conservation zone designation of this habitat.

• Marine conservation activity in Wales and the UK is under resourced, hence the need for corporations such as Sky TV to be involved, for this reason NRW do not have resources to undertake large scale marine conservation actions.

• Pro-active conservation measures to protect features of the Pembrokeshire Special Area of Conservation are currently compromised by the lack of resources (e.g. bait digging management on the Gann Flats is currently a voluntary code of conduct. Although approval has been given within NRW to introduce a bylaw here, this is not a viable management option unless there is sufficient resource to ensure the necessary enforcement capability).

• It is a fallacy that seahorses only live in seagrass. Because seahorses tend to have a brown like complexion, they are clearer to see in seagrass, but in fact the gross majority of seahorse observations in the UK are from areas of seaweed. Essentially seahorses have a curly ‘prehensile tail’ that likes to wrap around any structure, and anecdotal observations suggest that they have been recorded on fishing pots by fishermen in the haven previously. Seahorses aren’t a specifically protected biodiversity species in Wales, but they are a protected species in the UK under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.

• We will request that the Port Authority, the special Area of Conservation, the Minister for Environment Energy and Rural Affairs, and NRW make statements that they do not wish to add regulations to manage how boating activity interacts with seagrass.

How long will the seagrass be here for? We hope that as the environment is right for the seagrass it will last forever. Seagrasses are more resilient than many habitats to some of the impacts of a changing climate, therefore we anticipate that seagrass will be here for the long-term.

Statement from community (2/9/19 meeting): The Studland Bay conflict was brought up.

Richard explained this is of a personal nature and involves people not talking to each other. Note –collated by Richard following meeting: Studland Bay has become controversial for a series of reasons that separate it out as being different to Dale: • Firstly the seagrass has always been there, it may have varied in coverage over the years, but principally it’s the same broad distribution, but during that period boat numbers and size using the bay have increased leading to increased damage from both anchoring and moorings. In the case of Studland, boats are damaging seagrass that has long been present in Studland. • Second, although seagrasses exist all around the UK and could contain seahorses the main protagonist of the situation, the Seahorse Trust, are only focussed on that one locality where it tries to quantify the number present each year. Whilst there are undoudtedly seahorses living in the seagrass at Studland, they also live in Poole Bay and other areas around the coast where seagrass is far less abundant and seaweed is the more dominant habitat structure. Studland has almost become a focal point for all things seahorse. • Seagrass is very extensive at Studland Bay and may cover an area of upto 91 hectares. • The sustained long-term nature of the issue in Studland results from the continued presence of the Seahorse in Studland, irrespective of the moorings and anchors leading to a debate as to whether boating even damages the animals at all. Whilst we are deeply sorry for the stressful debate that this proposal has created in Dale we believe that ‘seagrass’ or ‘no seagrass’ any local disagreements will rapidly heal as the Seahorse isn’t present in Welsh seagrass.

Seagrass info How tall is seagrass? Given the seabed conditions and light levels in Dale it is expected to grow to no more than 70cm. It is a perennial plant and over winter reduces in size, storing energy in its roots to regrow the following spring.

Even if seagrass becomes extensive in Dale (which is unlikely) the majority of the shoots will be at a maximum of 70cm in length. For most of the year this will be much shorter. This is no different to areas of algae/seaweed currently within the bay.

How ‘tough’ is seagrass? The type of ‘seagrass’ that is used in everything from rugs to coffins is terrestrial plant unconnected to Zostera marina (eelgrass/seagrass). Zostera marina was historically collected in the UK when it was abundant but not for its fibres but for its insulating and soft properties that enabled its use as a bedding material. Zostera marina is very easily torn and does not cause engines to be clogged up or damaged in anyway. Zostera marina is extensive in the Solent, around the Isle of Wight, in Falmouth and Poole harbours, Plymouth Sound, these are all places where boating traffic is of a very high intensity and the seagrass causes no problems what so ever.

Will it stabilise the seabed? Yes, and as the seagrass grows and develops it will also help spread and reduce water movement. It has also proven to be an effective way to dissipate wave energy, improving coastal defences.

How much nutrient enrichment is coming from the sewage discharge and arriving at the proposed site? How much enrichment does it take to stop seagrass thriving?

This is a difficult question to answer. Enrichment is a fine balance between the flushing of the local seawater by tides and currents and the amount of nutrients in the water column. The amount of nutrients present are in turn impacted by the capacity of the animals to graze any resulting algal build up. Levels of nutrients in the haven are extraordinarily high relative to many other estuaries around the world, but due to the very high tidal range flushing the water in and out these don’t appear to have as great an impact as they would have in other places. Having said that areas of turf mat algae (indicators of enrichment) are very abundant at many sites further up the haven and into the Cleddau but not in the Dale area. What we do know is that seagrass is present at Longoar Bay and at Gelliswick (next to the LNG terminals). At Gelliswick the nutrients are causing the seagrass to suffer but at Longoar water is more highly flushed and is in excellent condition. The small patches of seagrass currently in Dale are very healthy.

How does sewage discharge affect the seagrass?

Sewage discharge would affect seagrass principally from the nutrient enrichment it causes. Given the irregular nature of these discharges, however appalling they appear, they will unlikely influence the seagrass to any great degree. We’ve assessed the nutrient content and condition of the trial seagrass we’ve grown to date and understand that the nutrient environment in Dale is much better than other areas of the Haven and suitable for seagrass.

Will the sea grass hold any effluent back so that it does not clear with the tide?

Seagrass will never be so extensive to do that. Even if it was extensive the canopy of the seagrass would at maximum be 70cm high but the water depth would be much higher so there is no way that the seagrass could in anyway ‘hold it back’. What could happen is that the seagrass filters some of the bacteria out and due to its antimicrobial properties actually improves the water quality.

Question from community (2/9/19 meeting): Does seagrass take in nutrients, i.e. excess nutrients in the Gann?

Yes – high levels sucked in and locked in sediment. The Pembrokeshire Marine SAC Officer clarified that the Gann inputs were actually less than elsewhere (SWEPT project data).