The Seahorse Trust News

East Dorset Open Water Swimming Club held its third annual Seahorse Swim race at Knoll Beach in Studland. The event was an amazzing success with over 130 swimmers taking part from all over the country. It was held by kind permission of the National Trust and supported the work of The Seahorse Trust amongst others such as the National Trust and St. John’s Ambulance.

The race was over a standard triathlon distance of 3.8 kms and produced a highly competitive race.

Despite heavy overnight rain and high winds, the weather relented in time for the start. The water temperature was a cool 13.7 degrees centigrade causing a couple of competitors to retire with the cold. However, the swimmers were delighted with the friendly rivalry in this well organised event held in good conditions

Bob Holman, chairman of the club said “We have had a fantastic day and all our swimmers have been complimenting us on providing a great swim”. The club was greatly assisted for the safety cover by RLSS Poole Lifeguard, Branksome Surf Life Saving Club, Bournemouth Lifeguard Corps, RLSS Boscombe Lifeguards, Southbourne Surf Life Saving Club and Christchurch Life Saving Club.

This is the second year Bob and the club have kindly supported The Seahorse Trust and they raised a staggering £150 for our work. We are extremely grateful to them for there amazing efforts and admire the incredible feats of swimming that were undertaken and would like to than k one and all for there feat.

The results were

Men’s Open wetsuit: Guy Giles, Wantage White Horses 47 minutes 47 seconds

Ladies Open wetsuit: Naomi Vides, Poole Swimming Club 54 minutes 40 seconds

Men’s Open non-wetsuit: Steven Hurley, Exeter City Swimming Club 55 minutes 31 seconds

Ladies Open non-wetsuit: Joanne Ball, East Dorset Open Water Swimming Club 1 hour 4 minutes 26 seconds

Roy Harding Trophy for first male non-wetsuit over 40: Stuart Purcell, East Dorset Open Water Swimming Club 55 minutes 38 seconds

Roy Harding Trophy for first female non-wetsuit over 40: Kate Mason, Weyport Masters 1 hour 10 minutes 33 seconds

Volunteer diver Steph found her first seahorse on Saturday. Felix, named by Steph is a male Spiny Seahorse that has a developed pouch but was not pregnant when we saw him, which was surprise as it is near the full moon, the optimum time for seahorses to give Birth. The huge smile on Stephs face said it all when we came to the surface and she could not stop smiling for ages afterwards.
Felix pictured below was 13.5 cm long and was just big enough to tag and his official number is 002. We will now follow Felix’s movements throughout the season and the information we gather will help us to ensure further protection for seahorses here in the UK.
By working with others such as SOS in Ireland, MCC in Cambodia, the people of Cambodia, SOS in Malaysia, the National Marine Aquarium in Plymouth and the SEALIFE Group around the world we can work towards a better future for seahorses and other marine species around the globe.

FELIX THE SEAHORSE AS SEEN BY VOLUNTEER STEPH

During our trip to Cambodia, Kelan from Save Our Seahorses (Ireland) and Neil from the trust did a talk on the work we are doing around the world and how we can work with and help to enhance the project in Cambodia.

Neil talking about the British Seahorse Survey

Neil on the left, Paul (MD of Marine Conservation Cambodia) in the centre and Kealan from save our Seahorses after the talk answering some of the many questions they were asked from the volunteers.

We would like to give a warm welcome to Professor Jack Cohen FIBiol., DSc., who has kindly come on board as a patron of the trust. Jack has an incredible career in aquatics and as an advisor on films and books.

Polymath, sympathetic biologist and creator of credible aliens, Prof Jack began a lifelong interest in fish as boy in the 1940s – importing and breeding tropical species long before it was common to do so. His academic career led him from cell culture to human fertility and complexity theory, yet he has always maintained his fascination with things aquatic and inspired many students by keeping fish in his departments.

Those of you from an academic background are unlikely to need us to introduce Professor Jack Cohen, so well known is he and his work within the field of biology – at Birmingham University for some thirty years and later at Warwick University. He denies being a mathematician, despite having been made an Honorary Professor in that Institute.

Many of  Jack’s former students have made their own mark on the world of science; including one who developed the use of DNA-fingerprinting and one who received a Nobel prize.

Author of  numerous scientific books and research papers, Jack is also known for his popular science publications, and has been involved in many science and natural history programmes on television and radio including Horizon and Attenborough’s Trials of Life. Notable science-fiction authors such as  Anne McCaffrey and Jerry Pournelle consult him to design alien creatures and ecologies, and recently he has been collaborating with Ian Stewart to create the Science of Discworld series with Terry Pratchett.

Jack’s public lectures, which he continues to deliver, include titles like ‘The possibility of life on other planets’, ‘Why is Mickey Mouse?’ and ‘Why so many sperms?’, while his day schools and evening courses have included: Techniques for Biologists and Naturalists, Freshwater Ecology, Aquaria in Classrooms, and Animal Handling. Although now mostly retired, he continues to write and campaign to promote public awareness and understanding of science.

If you imagine him to be a stuffy old-fashioned Prof – you are mistaken. He is one of the kindest, most entertaining chaps one could meet and we are delighted he has accepted our invitation to become a Seahorse Trust patron.

I have just come back from a fact finding trip to Cambodia with Kealan from Save our Seahorses in Ireland (http://www.facebook.com/saveourseahorses) and would like to thank Paul from Marine Conservation Cambodia and Suzi from Projects Abroad ( http://www.projects-abroad.co.uk/volunteer-projects/conservation-and-environment/cambodia/) for hosting and funding the trip and a special thanks to the Government and people of Cambodia for their warm welcome and hospitality.
We looked at the Islands of Koh Rong Samleon and Koh Rong for seahorses and we found 6 in total of 2 different species. Recently the site has been devastated by trawling and our work with everyone else was to devise projects to ensure the future of the seahorses and the habitat in the area and also to understand more about the biology and ecology of the seahorses and the environment.
With this in mind we are setting up an aquaculture project in Sihanoukville on the mainland to release seahorses back into the wild and a wide range of projects on the islands, looking at the jungle as well as the sea. This is just an early stage of the project and already we have had the go ahead form the Cambodian Government for many parts of the work and I would like to offer my sincere thanks for their hospitality and kindness. This is an exciting project for all concerned as it will allow us to bring our expertise to this much needed area. As things progress I will keep you all updated on the project and the work.

They did it, Fashion swims for seahorses Ada, Kurt and Nik swam a total of 12km for the seahorses and a massive thank you to them all (including their aches and pains, they picked up on the way) They now deserve a rest after that mammoth task. Its now your turn, there are 3 months left to make a donation for this incedible feat, so please dig deep and even if it is a £1 then please donate, to show your support and dont forget to gift aid it. For every £1 you donate if you are a UK tax payer Virgin Giving can claim 25p in tax you have already paid, so it does not cost you a penny. Thank you so much to the team for their hard work.

http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/fundraiser-web/fundraiser/showFundraiserProfilePage.action?userUrl=fashionswimsforseahorses&isTeam=true

This article in New Scientist is every good reason why we should protect seagrass meadows with the utmost urgency before it is far too late. Campaign very loudly and get those in authority to listen before it is too late not just for seahorses but for us as well.

http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn21825-mowing-down-seagrass-meadows-will-cut-loose-carbon.htm

You can make difference by supporting the trust in its work to get areas around the UK protected, this is now a time issue. If we do not protect these fragile sites they will be gone forever and all the species (including humans), especially seahorses that rely on them will have a very uncertain future.

Support the trust in its work by adopting a seahorse or becoming a member (or just making a donation) and don’t forget Ada and the team are swimming for seahorses this weekend so click on the link in the previous article and sponsor them on their swim.

Ada and the team have been training really hard for the sponsored swim on the 27th and they need your support. Please blog, tweet and facebook everyone you know and get them to dig deep for Team Seahorse.

They have just been featured on Vogue.com

http://www.facebook.com/l/hAQECwLs6/www.vogue.co.uk/blogs/the-green-style-blog/2012/05/ada-zanditon-seahorse-swim

To sponsor the team then please go to http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.virginmoneygiving.com%2Fteam%2Ffashionswimsforseahorses&h=lAQEmYJZj

and please do not forget to gift aid any donation, it makes a huge difference.

Dear all, Ada, Kurt and Nik (Team Seahorse),

are doing a swim for seahorses to raise money for the work of The Seahorse Trust on the 27th of May please please please support them. Have a look at their Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/events/303275316416787/ and sponsor them through the Virgin Giving donation website http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.virginmoneygiving.com%2Fteam%2Ffashionswimsforseahorses&h=lAQEmYJZj
Please pass this on to all your friends and familly and post it on as many media websites as possible. If you could facebook it, Twitter it and spread the word as far and wide as possible, we would love to send it out to at least 100,000 people.

Our three intrepid swimmers need support PLEASE help them to help the seahorses.

Many thanks

Neil Director The Seahorse Trust

A second seahorse has turned up because of the severe storms in Poole Harbour in Dorset. Dave Hartwell of the Water Sports Academy www.thewatersportsacademy.com found the mature 15cm female Spiny Seahorse washed up on the beach. He had the quickness of thought to put her into a bucket, which saved her life. He then contacted the trust, as a direct result of the article about the seahorse found on Knoll Beach which was recorded in the Bournemouth Echo yesterday, to find out what to do. Because seahorses are protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act (as a direct result of lobbying and hard work of the trust volunteers) it is illegal to kill, disturb or take seahorses from the wild, so Dave under guidance from the trust took a few picture (without flash, which is illegal) of the seahorse against a ruler, so we could get an accurate measurement of her and then put her back into the sea, into a sheltered spot so she would not wash up again.
Thanks to Dave and the academy this is a very lucky seahorse and his actions have directly helped the local population of Spiny Seahorses.