“Eco-moorings” are being installed at a Dorset beauty spot to stop a vulnerable seahorse species being harmed by anchors and chains on the sea floor.
On a sunny day, Studland Bay in Dorset can attract up to 350 boaters, who drop anchor or moor on existing points.
But campaigners have said the use is damaging the fragile seagrass meadows in the bay, which are home to the rare spiny seahorse.
Neil Garrick-Maidment, from the Seahorse Trust, has been campaigning for 11 years to protect the seagrass meadows, and finally got the moorings in place with the backing of a marina company, boatfolk.
“When I had my first meeting with the chief executive of boatfolk, I really didn’t think we’d see them within a year given how long we’ve been working for this,” he said. “We’ve had so much opposition, even death threats, from people who don’t want things to change. And now they’re in place.”
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The current moorings in the bay are concrete blocks on the seabed, with a chain running up to a marker buoy. When the tide level drops, the chain drops down and scrapes the seabed. In some parts of the bay, this has left 30-metre patches devoid of seagrass, Garrick-Maidment said.
When they are full, other boats will merely use anchors, which also damage the seagrass, he said, adding: “Now if you imagine anchors times 350, that’s a lot of damage.”
The new moorings use a screw anchor that is driven into the seabed and attached to an elastic, floating cable so it will not drag along the sand.
Chris Packham, the presenter and conservationist, said the installation was significant progress. He said: “It is hoped that following the first ten, that more of these environmentally responsible moorings will eliminate anchor damage and preserve the seabed for these charismatic creatures.”
Ten have been put in place so far, funded by boatfolk, a restaurant and a private donor. The Seahorse Trust is hoping for 100 over the next year.
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Michael Prideaux, boatfolk's managing director, said he had met Garrick-Maidment on the beach at Studland Bay and been inspired to join the project.
He said: “Providing an alternative option at Studland that protects this incredible marine environment is about doing the right thing for boaters and for our planet. Financial return is not an objective; we are committed to making Studland Bay a sustainable boating destination for generations to come and are proud to be putting our name and resources behind the scheme.”
The seagrass meadows in Studland Bay and the six protected species they harbour have been a marine conservation area since May 2019.
“Sea grass is so valuable,” Garrick-Maidment explained. “It’s a wave diffuser, stopping the beach and cliffs being eroded, and more importantly it’s this incredible carbon sink. Along side that, you’ve got spectacular species like the spiny seahorse.”
A meeting with Michael Gove, the then environment secretary, allowed the conservationists to make their case for a marine conservation area. Garrick-Maidment recalled: “His last words to me were ‘I totally get seahorses. We’ve got to do something about them’. And he was true to his word.”
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But he and his team of divers have experienced death threats and abuse.
“We had one woman in a boat who literally tried to run us over,” he said. “We always fly dive flags, and we were shouting at her and she said: “This’ll teach him” and reversed the boat over him. He’s still got nicks on his cylinder where the propeller went over him.”
