Lundy 40 years of

marine conservation

by
Keith Hiscock
for
The Taw and Exmoor branch of the British Naturalists' Association
25th February 2011

Lundy 40 years of marine conservation

Historical perspectives: early marine studies
1960s: Diving and the beginnings of conservation
1971: The proposal for a voluntary marine reserve
1970s:The voluntary marine nature reserve,
research, training and just enjoying the marine life
1980s and 1990s: Monitoring, more research, the
statutory marine nature reserve
Break

The past 10 years:

- the No-Take Zone;
- more surveys and monitoring;
- becoming a Marine Conservation Zone

Historical perspective (pre 1970s)

The earliest recorded marine biological studies near to Lundy are noted in the
work of Forbes (1851) who took dredge samples off the east coast of the island
in 1848.
The first descriptions of the seashore wildlife on Lundy are
those published in 1853 by the foremost Victorian marine
naturalist and writer, P.H. Gosse.
Another naturalist, G. Tugwell returned from Lundy shores in
1851 "laden with all imaginable and unimaginable spoils.
Rev. Charles Kingsley records (in
Glaucus: the wonders of the shore,
1890) finding the scarlet and gold coral
at Lundy.
Each summer between 1934 to 1937,
G.F. Tregelles visited Lundy to collect
seaweeds.
The first systematic studies of marine ecology at Lundy
were undertaken by Professor L.A. Harvey and Mrs C.C.
Harvey together with students of Exeter University in the late
1940's and early 1950's.

In 1969, the first suggestions were made

that Lundy could be a marine reserve
My first dives on Lundy in August 1969
fabulous marine life and the icing on the cake
finding the sunset cup coral, first record for
Britain.

Photograph taken on 4th August 1969

At the end of September 1969, following the
dedication service celebrating the purchase of
the island by the National Trust, John Smith of
the Landmark Trust was approached about the
possibility of a reserve.

Publicity for the marine reserve proposal

In December 1969, Heather Booker (Then
Heather Machin) published an article
Conservation in the sea in the Journal of the
Devon Trust for Nature Conservation that
specifically suggested Lundy as a possible
reserve.

Image: David Harvey

There were several other folks involved in

the early days:

Image: David Harvey

Ron Machin, Scientific Officer of the

Ilfracombe & North Devon Sub-Aqua
Club

John Lamerton, Assistant Regional

Officer, Nature Conservancy

Formal consultations for a voluntary marine

nature reserve started in February 1971
Nature magazine
28th May 1971

North Devon
Journal Herald 1st
April 1971

Express &
Echo 25th
March 1971

Daily Telegraph
21st March
1971

Lundy Voluntary
Marine Nature
Reserve:
established (by
agreement of the
management
policy) in 1972
See: Hiscock, K., Grainger, I.G.,
Lamerton, J.F., Dawkins, H.C. &
Langham, A.F. 1973. A policy for the
management of the shore and seabed
around Lundy. Report of the Lundy
Field Society for 1972, 23, 3945.

So, what was all of the fuss about?

In the late 1960s and early 1970s, concerns were mainly about
divers taking souvenirs many dried sea fans and sea urchins
left the island in tea chests destined to be sold as curios and
the population of crawfish was also being decimated by divers
and by tangle netting.
And, Lundy has fabulous marine life:

Established richness of the rocky shores from the words of George Tugwell in 1851,
who returned from Lundy laden with all imaginable and unimaginable spoils

The greatest variety of marine algae (307+ species) of any one locality in the British Isles

A very high diversity of reef habitats (e.g. 30 different habitats as level 4 biotopes
described by drop-down video - compared with a more usual <15 for such areas).

The marine fauna shows great diversity 753 taxa listed. With the algae, Lundy
has one eighth of the recorded multicellular marine species in the British Isles.

Colourful marine fauna including rare and scarce species

Knoll Pins, 1986

All of the British shallow water corals

0

Caryophyllia
smithii
Leptopsammia
pruvoti

Hoplangia
durotrix

5 cm

Caryophyllia
inornata

Balanophyllia
regia
Image courtesy of Robert Irving

Rich communities in the undisturbed sediments off the east coast

Rich fish populations

Cuckoo wrasse, Labrus mixtus

Seals, Halichoerus grypus

Rich in open water species, including oceanic organisms

Blue jellyfish Cyanea lamarkii

Basking shark, Cetorhinus maximus (image: David Sims)

Buoy barnacle, Dosima fascicularis

1970s:The voluntary marine nature reserve, research, training ....

Inventory of the fauna 1971-80

Lab work in the Barn

Studies of burrowing species 1974

Rocky shore surveys - wave -exposed shores

Dead Cow Point, 1977

.. preparing interpretive material .

Lundy stamps issue:

And, in 2011, a
cancellation stamp:

.. and just enjoying the marine life

In the 1960s, 70s and into the 80s, diving at Lundy was run by Bristol Channel Divers

The 1980s and 1990s: Mapping, monitoring, more research,

the statutory marine nature reserve

Mapping habitats in 1983

In 1984, monitoring sites were established for some of the

features of conservation importance

Lundy statutory
Marine Nature
Reserve:
established 21
November 1986

Time to come-up for air

BREAK
and rolling slide show
Image: Chris Pirie

The past 10
years:
Lundy is now an
EU Special Area of
Conservation, has
a No-Take Zone on
the east coast and
the MNR
designation has
been changed to
Marine
Conservation Zone

The No Take Zone: gains from conservation

at Lundy

Spatial sampling for

lobsters & crabs
S o u th
W a le s
N ear
c o n tro l
1

Far
re fe re n c e
1

B r is t o l
C hannel

S1
S1
S2

Lundy

S2

N ear
c o n tro l
2
Far
re fe re n c e
2

NTZ

S1
S2

N o rth
D evon

50 km

Abundances of lobsters
A ll s iz e s

14

ANOVA tests:

12
10

Near

Year x NTZ vs Control:

Non significant

Far

(F3,3 = 0.19, P = 0.89)

4
2
0
Lundy
NTZ

Lundy
Con 1

Lundy
Con 2

N o rth
Devon
Ref

S o u th
W a le s
Ref

Year x NTZ vs Reference:

Non significant
(F3,3 = 5.25, P = 0.10)

27

A next question to address is what

impact, if any, has the increased lobster
population had on other benthic species?

The numbers of Necora puber being caught in traps has fallen

since lobster numbers have risen is there a link?

Lundy shores 60 years on

The next day and the next days weather

Sorting quantitative samples from Coralline turfs

Measuring toothed topshells a climate change indicator species

Subtidal condition monitoring September 2010

Natural England staff undertaking rocky shore surveys

Lundy is changing: alien species

Harpoon weed, Asparagopsis armata

Wire weed Sargassum muticum

Lundy is changing: warming seas

Topshell Osilinus lineatus

New discoveries

Asterina phylactica

New technology, new images (multi-beam sonar)

Lundy attracts a large numbers of divers

Always, media interest: Coast - filmed on 4 & 5 September 2008

And Britains secret seas, May

2010, screening soon

And, always new things to do and discover

Finding-out more about marine life

www.marlin.ac.uk/learningzone

Finding-out more about marine protected

areas

www.ukmpas.org

www.lundy.org.uk

www.lundyisland.co.uk

Thankyou