The Ecology of Poole Harbour

277 Pages·2005·9.835 MB·1-282\277

by  J. Humphreys and V. May (Eds.)

Preface
Due mainly to its internationally important bird populations, Poole Harbour has, over
recent years, accrued various national and European statutory designations. Whilst these
populations provide a relatively conspicuous testament to the harbour as a natural
environment, they represent only one aspect of its significance in environmental and
ecological terms. The harbour's unique combination of size, hydrological and
geomorphological features provide for a rich and productive ecological community.
Moreover these same features, in combination with its geographical position on the
south coast of England, make it a haven for the naturalization of alien species. In this
context, the harbour has been a site for some classic scientific studies, which along with
various environmental assessment or monitoring projects and baseline surveys, have
added considerably to our knowledge. The need to understand the harbour system,
compelling as it is in purely scientific terms, is also necessary as a basis for informed
management of the considerable and growing manifestations of human economic
activity, and their interactions with this valuable natural resource.
In this context, the editors on behalf of the Poole Harbour Study Group, have sought for
the first time to collect together in book form, contributions from various researchers
working on the harbour in such a way as to provide, as far as is possible, a picture of the
ecology of the harbour system as a whole. As such, this book covers all the major
habitats from reedbeds and saltmarshes to the extensive mudflats and the sub-littoral,
while also examining in some detail a wide range of ecological phenomena and issues.
Our indispensable starting point for the assembly of the book was a seminar organized by
the Poole Harbour Study Group and held on 21 November 2003 at the premises of the Poole
Harbour Commissioners. At this seminar, entitled 'The Changing Harbour', nine papers
were presented. We are pleased and gratified that all those papers have been written up and
now form chapters in this book. In addition to directly providing a substantial part of the
book, the seminar had the benefit of generating sufficient interest to enable us to assemble
a volume with much more comprehensive coverage than that which could be achieved at a
one-day event. Therefore, this book owes its origin above all to those who organized and
contributed to that conference and who are appropriately acknowledged on page vi.
The Poole Harbour Study Group aims to enhance our understanding by encouraging and
co-ordinating research on Poole Harbour. Our hope is that this volume, by providing a
comprehensive, multidisciplinary, whole-system picture of the harbour, will help further
these aims.
John Humphreys EL RUOBRAIF YDUTS PUORG
Vincent May
March 2005 ~.
viii
stnemegdelwonkcA
We would like to thank all those individuals who put in a considerable amount of effort and
commitment on both the organization of the seminar 'The Changing Harbour', 21
November 2003, and the subsequent development and publication of this book. These
individuals include members of the Poole Harbour Study Group (listed overleaf) but we
should acknowledge particularly the work of Mafia Pegoraro and the Dorset Environmental
Records Centre for taking much of the weight of the organization of the conference along
with her colleague, Brian Edwards and Kevin Cook of Fieldwork and Ecological Surveys.
Thanks also to Poole Harbour Commissioners for providing space for the conference.
Books such as these are entirely dependent on the willingness of authors to submit
contributions. We have been particularly fortunate in getting a group of authors whose
aggregate experience and knowledge of Poole Harbour is second to none. We are above
all grateful to them.
All but one of the chapters have been written especially for this book. The exception is
chapter 6 'History and Ecology of the Cord Grass Spartina anglica in Poole Harbour' by
Alan Raybould. We are grateful to him and Judy Lindsay, Director of the Dorset County
Museum for permission to reprint, in modified form, the article which was first published
in the Proceedings of eht Dorset Natural History and lacigoloeahcrA ,yteicoS Volume 119.
We are grateful to Infoterra, for the satellite photograph used in the Introduction.
Thanks also to the University of Greenwich Marketing Office, in particular Valerie
Howe, Peter Birkett and Andrew Beatson for editing, design and production. Also from
the University of Greenwich, Avis Brant for a great deal of administrative support in
getting the book together.
The contents of a book such as this is dependent on an enormous number of individuals
and organizations who have contributed in one way or another to the work that is
reported in each of the chapters. Such contributions are acknowledged by individual
authors as appropriate at the end of each chapter. We would like to add our own thanks
to these individuals and organizations.
John Humphreys
Vincent May ,.;i:~~ .~:iii~i~i:ii:~.
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UNIVERSITY
Poole Harbour Poole Harbour
GREENWICH Commissioners Study Group
Poole Harbour Study Group
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The objectives of the Poole Harbour Study Group (PHSG) are to further the study of the
geology, hydrology, ecology, physiography and biological communities, and the
monitoring of environmental change in Poole Harbour by:
(cid:12)9 establishing and maintaining a database of scientific, historical, cultural and other
relevant studies of the harbour;
(cid:12)9 undertaking, promoting, facilitating, co-ordinating and encouraging further studies
of the harbour;
(cid:12)9 establishing an archive of harbour studies and keeping this updated;
(cid:12)9 facilitating the use of the database and archive by researchers, conservation bodies,
statutory bodies, harbour users and others with a bona fide interest in the harbour;
(cid:12)9 acting as a centre for advice and information on features of local, national and
international interest within the harbour;
(cid:12)9 assisting with or sponsoring meetings and publications on ecological,
physiographical or biological aspects of the harbour;
(cid:12)9 maintaining close links with the Poole Maritime Trust and other bodies with an
interest in the harbour environment.
pihsrebmeM
Sue Burton English Nature
Richard Caldow Centre for Ecology and Hydrology
Kevin Cook (Vice Chairman) Fieldwork and Ecological Surveys
John Day Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB)
Anita Diaz Bournemouth University
Peter Dyrynda University of Wales
Bryan Edwards Dorset Environmental Records Centre (DERC)
Neil Gartshore Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB)
George Green Environment Agency
Geoff Hann National Trust
Tegwyn Harris Hatherley Laboratories
John Humphreys University of Greenwich
Antony Jensen Southampton Oceanography Centre
Vincent May (Chair) Bournemouth University
Stephen Morrison Ecological Field Research and Estate Management
Maria Pegoraro Dorset Environmental Records Centre (DERC)
Angela Peters National Trust
Bryan Pickess Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB)
Eunice Pinn Joint Nature Conservation Committee
Sally Porter Poole Harbour Commissioners
elooP ruobraH Study puorG
Helen Powell English Nature
Nicole Price Environment Agency
Martin Slater Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB)
Paul St Pierre Purbeck Biodiversity
Phil Sterling Environmental Services
Chris Thain Dorset Wildlife Trust
Peter Tinsley Dorset Wildlife Trust
Jenny Waldron Poole
Sarah Welton Wareham
S uzy Witt Environment Agency
Poole Harbour Study Group Publications
Cook, .K (2001) Poole Harbour Reedbed Survey 2000.
Pickess, .B and Underhill-Day, .J (2002) The Important Birds ofPoole Harbour.
Edwards, .B (2004) The Vegetation of Poole Harbour.
Morrison, S.J. (2004) Wader and Waterfowl Roost Survey of Poole Harbour." Winter
2002/03.
Thomas, N.S., Caldow, R.W.G., McGrorty, ,.S leV dit Durell, S.E.A., West, A.D. and
Stillman, R.A. (2004) Bird Invertebrate Prey Availability in Poole Harbour.
Chown, D and Cook, K (2004) Important Breeding Birds of Poole Harbour. Part 1 Water
Rail: Part 2 Redshank.
Correspondence
Dr John Day
Poole Harbour Study Group Secretary
Syldata
Arne
Wareham
Dorset
BH20 5BJ
UK
Website: www.pooleharbourstudygroup.org.uk
,~ ELO HAkBOUk STUbu ~,OUI*
Contributors
Sheila Anderson joined the Natural Environment Research Council as a zoologist in
1967, working mainly on coastal and marine issues. She spent 5 years working on
intertidal invertebrates in UK estuaries, before joining the Sea Mammal Research Unit
to do research on seals. She is now Head of Communications for NERC.
Paola C. Barbuto is an Oceanographer based at Bournemouth University at the School
of Conservation Sciences. She is currently conducting an ecological survey of the
macro- and mesozooplankton communities in Poole Harbour, with an emphasis on
commercial species.
Katie Born is an Environmental Scientist at Halcrow Group Ltd and has worked
predominantly on coastal and riverine flood defence schemes for two years. Prior to this,
she was an ecologist at the Sheffield Wildlife Trust
Fiona Bowles was the Environmental Manager for Wessex Water, co-ordinating
investigations into the environmental impact of the company's operations and new
developments. She has worked within the water company's environmental section since
1980 and has now left that role to manage the company's Low Flow Project.
Bronwen Bruce has been working at Dorset Wildlife Trust as their Conservation Officer
for Rivers and Wetlands since May 1999. She is responsible for water policy issues,
wetland habitat advice and co-ordination of the Dorset Otter Group. With 65 volunteers,
this is the largest Otter group in the country.
Richard Caldow works as a Bird Population Ecologist for the Centre for Ecology and
Hydrology at Winfrith Technology Centre. His main interest is in investigating the
interactions between birds, their food supplies and the environment in which they live in
order to predict how bird populations might respond to environmental change.
lan Carrier has been the Clerk and Chief Fishery Officer of the Southern Sea Fisheries
District for 3 years and has worked for the Committee for 31 years. A former Royal Navy
Officer, he took the Queen's shilling as an Ordinary Seaman at the age of seventeen
before rising through the ranks to Lieutenant Commander prior to 'retiring' in 1991. He
has served as a First Lieutenant and Fishery Boarding Officer in the Fishery Protection
Squadron and has also spent 3 years in Command of his own ship and squadron. He has
a keen interest in all maritime and environmental matters.
Chris Cesar was an Oceanography MSc student in the School of Ocean and Earth
Science, University of Southampton. His research project (supervised by Antony Jensen)
focused on the impact of clam fishing on the infauna of Poole Harbour
xii Contributors
Kevin Cook has had a long interest in Poole Harbour having lived on Brownsea Island
for 61 years. He is Chairman of the Dorset Environmental Records Centre and Vice
Chairman of the Poole Harbour Study Group. He works as a freelance Ecologist for his
own company Fieldwork Ecological Services Ltd.
Anita Diaz is a Senior Lecturer in Ecology at Bournemouth University. She has research
interests in conservation biology and has a number of ongoing research projects based
around Poole Harbour. These include investigation of the ecological impact of Sika Deer
and examination of methods for heathland ecosystem re-creation on agricultural land.
Sarah E. A. Le .V dit Durell is a Wader Population Ecologist at the Centre for Ecology
and Hydrology Dorset, studying shorebirds and their invertebrate prey. She has been
involved in several surveys of macrobenthic invertebrates in Poole Harbour. Her main
contribution to these surveys is invertebrate identification and measurement.
Peter Dyrynda is a Marine Biologist based at University of Wales Swansea. He has a
long association with the Dorset coast, and more specifically with Poole Harbour and the
Fleet Lagoon. He has undertaken many of the sub-tidal appraisal and monitoring studies
undertaken in Poole Harbour over the past two decades.
Bryan Edwards is the Senior Surveyor with the Dorset Environmental Records Centre
where he has worked since 1991 carrying out habitat and species surveys, both in Dorset
and outside the county. His main interests are botany, particularly lichens and
bryophytes, and plant communities. He is co-author of The Mosses and Liverworts of
Dorset.
Paul English is a Senior Marine Ecologist and the manger of the marine biological
laboratory at Emu Ltd, Hampshire. He is a specialist in the study of marine macrofaunal
sediment communities and impact prediction.
Andy Gale is Professor of Geology at the University of Greenwich, and has a lifelong
interest in the geology of southern England, specializing in the stratigraphy and
palaeontology of Cretaceous and Tertiary sediments.
Justine Hannaford is a recent graduate from the BSc (Hons) Environmental Protection
course at Bournemouth University. She carried out some of the work presented in her
chapter as part of her third year project under the supervision of Anita Diaz.
Craig House is a recent graduate from the BSc (Hons) Environmental Protection course
at Bournemouth University. He carried out the work presented in his chapter as part of
his third year project under the supervision of Anita Diaz and Vincent May.
Contributors xiii
John Humphreys is Pro Vice-Chancellor and Professor at the University of Greenwich.
His scientific research focus is on estuarine ecology with an emphasis on invertebrate
benthic populations.
Antony Jensen is a senior lecturer in the School of Ocean and Earth Science at the
University of Southampton. His current research interests include artificial reefs, inshore
fisheries and benthic ecology. He has served on the Southern Sea Fisheries Committee
as a DEFRA appointee since 1997 and is currently Vice Chairman of the Eastern Sub-
committee.
Martin Jones returned to higher education after 20 years in engineering. As a lifelong
resident of Poole and a regular user of the harbour, he hopes that the algal mat project
will play a part in conserving the fragile ecological balance of one of the UK's finest
natural harbours.
Selwyn McGrorty has 35 years experience of research into the ecology and population
dynamics of coastal, intertidal invertebrates around Britain and northern Europe. He is
currently working at the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology at Winfrith, Dorset on
predictive models of shorebirds and their prey, particularly shellfish.
Vincent May is Emeritus Professor of Coastal Geomorphology and Conservation at
Bournemouth University, and has been investigating the harbour since the mid-1960s.
He chairs the Poole Harbour Study Group and the Purbeck Heritage Committee.
Linda C. Parker is an independent consultant in benthic ecology. She continues to work
on the effects of pump-scoop dredging on the intertidal communities at Poole Harbour.
Bryan Pickess is a Field Naturalist, who for over 30 years managed the RSPB's Arne
Nature Reserve, which borders Poole Harbour. He retired in 1996 and continues to be
involved with the ecology and management of lowland heath, the birds of the harbour
and other wildlife conservation management matters. He is the co-author of ehT
Important Birds of Poole Harbour
Eunice H. Pinn is a Fisheries Advisor for the Joint Nature Conservation Committee.
Prior to this she was a Senior Lecturer in Coastal Zone Management at Bournemouth
University. Her research has focused on factors affecting marine biodiversity including
the effect of anthropogenic activities such as fishing in the marine environment and the
impact of faunal bioturbation and boring activity on biodiversity and biogeochemical
cycling.
Helen Powell is a Conservation Officer at English Nature's Dorset Team. She is
responsible for Poole Harbour Site of Special Scientific Interest and other coastal and
freshwater SSSIs in south east Dorset.
vix srotubirtnoC
Alan Raybould studied the genetics and ecology of Spartina anglica for 61 years while
working at the Institute of Terrestrial Ecology's Furzebrook Research Station (now part
of the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology Dorset). He now works on environmental
safety assessments of genetically modified crops for Syngenta.
Neil Richardson joined the team of the Southern Sea Fisheries District in 2001. Most
of his life has been connected with the sea. Together with his father, he was joint owner
of a commercial fishing vessel for 6 years before selling up to go to university where he
studied coastal zone management. During this time, he carried out a work placement
aboard the Fishery Protection vessel of the South Wales Sea Fisheries Committee and on
graduating in 1996, he commenced work as a Fishery Officer with them.
Richard Stillman works as a Bird Population Ecologist and Modeller for the Centre for
Ecology and Hydrology Dorset. His main interest is to predict how bird populations are
influenced by environmental change from an understanding of the foraging behaviour of
the individual animals within these populations.
John Underhill-Day has worked as an Ecologist and Land Manager for the Royal
Society for the Protection of Birds for 35 years. He has lived and worked on the edge of
the harbour for 9 years and has been the Secretary of the Poole Harbour Study Group
since its formation. He is co-author of ehT Important Birds ofPoole Harbour.
Julian Wardlaw has been responsible for pollution prevention and response, enforcing
water pollution legislation and emergency planning within and around Poole Harbour
since 1980, currently with the Environment Agency.
Andrew West is an Ecologist at NERC Centre for Ecology and Hydrology Dorset. He
works mainly on computer models of shorebird populations and has also taken part in
intertidal surveys of a number of British estuaries.
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Introduction: Poole Harbour in Context
John Humphreys 1 and Vincent May 2
ytisrevinU1 of Greenwich, Old Royal Naval College, Greenwich, London ES 01 SL9
loohcS2 of Conservation Sciences, Bournemouth University, Talbot Campus, Fern Barrow, Poole,
Dorset BH12 BB5
Throughout the world, coastal ecosystems are at risk. Over half of the world's coastlines
suffer from severe development pressure predicated on the growth of human populations
and the increasing propensity of those populations to congregate in coastal areas. With
coastal urbanization has come rapid industrial and commercial development which has
put increasing pressure on coastal wetland habitats including estuaries, mudflats and
saltmarshes (World Resources Institute, 1995).
Although accurate figures do not exist, it is possible that half the earth's natural coastal
wetlands have gone. In any event it is known that since the Second World War many
millions of hectares have succumbed to urban expansion, land reclamation and drainage
for agriculture among other things (Hinrichsen, 1998). Furthermore, many of those
coastal ecosystems that remain suffer reduced vitality and viability as a consequence of
pressures derived directly from human activity, for example, serving as ports, recreation
centres, fishing grounds or receivers of effluent. Yet such coastal environments are
ecologically and economically significant assets. Estuaries and saltmarshes are
important in terms both of biodiversity and as highly productive natural ecosystems
whose significance ranges well beyond their immediate locality. They are spawning and
nursery areas for commercially harvested species of fish and provide essential seasonal
feeding grounds for bird populations whose migrations range across continents. As such
it is important that coastal ecosystems are well understood and sustainably managed.
All of the above generalizations apply in the particular case of Poole Harbour (Figure .)1
Indeed Poole Harbour is arguably unusual in the extent to which it represents in
microcosm coastal zone issues in the developed world. The contrasting and conflicting
pressures on Poole Harbour are sometimes startling. For instance, the harbour entrance-
no more than 370 m wide - separates on the south-west side an unspoilt protected natural
environment of considerable importance (Studland) from, on the north-east side, a
residential centre where property competes with Manhattan and Hong Kong island in the
world-wide table of real estate values (Sandbanks), see Figures 1 and 2 (Concoran, 2000).
with
west
and
north
the
to
development
urban
of
Infoterra.)
contrast of
the
Note courtesy
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east.
surrounding and
and south
the
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Poole
of
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Satellite natural
1
Figure