Discoveries in 2022 shows how ‘spectacular life is below the waves’ but the marine environment is facing huge threats, the Wildlife Trusts have said in a news release.

In their annual review of the year for the seas and coasts of the UK, the coalition of wildlife charities reveals extraordinary marine finds.

Extraordinary wildlife sightings highlight diversity and mystery of UK seas:

• A new species of deep-sea coral, Pseudumbellula scotiae, was discovered 240 miles off Scotland’s west coast. Found at depths of up to 2,000m in the Rockall Trough, it is completely new to science.
• A 100-year-old Greenland shark washed up at Newlyn in Cornwall – the second ever UK stranding of this species.
• Volunteers with Cornwall Wildlife Trust discovered Babakina anadoni – a type of sea slug – the first official record of this species in UK waters. Another sea slug, Corambe testudinaria, usually found near the French coast, was recorded off the UK for the first time.

(photo: Julius Nielsen/Mongabay)

• Sightings of pilot, fin, minke and humpback whales show how populations are recovering following bans on commercial whaling, for example:
  • Two new orca calves were spotted off Shetland in January, a positive sign for the Northern Isles community pod.
  • Volunteers recorded a large group of minke whales, normally solitary animals, gathering off the Yorkshire coast in August. Over 80 sightings were recorded in one morning. In very rare sightings for the region, Cumbria Wildlife Trust reported minke whales near its Walney Island nature reserve and off the coast of Workington.
  • Monitoring by Yorkshire Wildlife Trust suggests bottlenose dolphins are now present off Yorkshire year-round. Dolphins found off Scotland commonly visit Yorkshire’s coast to feed in summer, but it’s thought they are now increasingly visiting in winter.
• In the summer, Cornwall Wildlife Trust reported huge numbers of octopus around the Lizard Peninsula. Experts believe it is the sign of a healthy population and possible octopus boom, an event last recorded over 70 years ago.

Wildlife Trusts’ warning should be heeded – Scotsman comment

Dr Lissa Batey, head of marine conservation at the Wildlife Trusts, stressed that the sea “needs better protections to help nature recover and thrive as a matter of urgency”. “Protecting large areas of our oceans is crucial for fishing and other industries that rely on healthy seas, as well as providing security for important carbon-storing habitats like seagrass meadows and seabed sediments,” she added.

The Scotsman commented on the Review from the Wildlife Trusts: ‘Her point about the importance of healthy seas is key. They are a vital source of food and jobs, so we do need to exploit its bounty. However, if we do so in a way that gradually degrades the environment, then this natural source of wealth will diminish. Instead, we need to ensure our activities cause the least possible amount of harm and look for ways to help nature thrive. If we can do this, then the health of our seas should increase, along with the benefits that we derive from them.’

Coverage of the annual review can be read in the Telegraph, Metro, Scotsman, and ITV, amongst others.

The full news release from the Wildlife Trusts can be read here.