Seahorse numbers in Studland Bay reach post-pandemic high
Neil Garrick-Maidment of the Seahorse Trust said: "It is fantastic news that we found so many. "Half were males and most of them were pregnant, so it shows the eco-moorings are working."There is still a long way to go in protecting this amazing site, and the seahorses on it, but we are going in the right direction."Seahorses are legally protected by law, and anyone looking for them - either snorkelling or diving - requires a licence.Immediately after the Covid lockdown, one official dive counted 21 seahorses.
Mr Garrick-Maidment said: "We worked out that the site was holding 46 seahorses then but sadly, within weeks of lockdown unlocking, the seahorses were gone."The eco-moorings installed by the Seahorse Trust, Boatfolk and the Studland Bay Marine Partnership cost about £100,000 a year to maintain.Boat users pay £7.50 to moor there for four hours, or £15 for 24 hours, or £150 for a seasonal pass. There is also an option to pay more to help support the conservation work.The trust is also appealing for donations to install more moorings.
You can follow BBC Dorset on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
Apology issued as travel delays hit Wimbledon
Wimbledon MP Paul Kohler criticised public transport services, calling Tube delays for tennis fans an "international embarrassment" to London. The District line has experienced significant disruption, including a track fire near Southfields station and signal failures, leading to overcrowded trains and long queues. Attendees of the Wimbledon championships have reported missing matches and opportunities to join the Queue due to the transport delays. MP Kohler has written to Transport for London (TfL) commissioner Andy Lord requesting a meeting to discuss improving service reliability. TfL and the Mayor of London's office have apologised for the disruption, stating efforts are underway to restore services and that the Mayor is investing in the transport network. Wimbledon MP calls travel chaos 'embarrassment' to London
The Independent
2 hours ago
- The Independent
William and Kate to join King and Queen for Macron's Windsor carriage ride
The Prince and Princess of Wales are to join the King and Queen and their guests French president Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte for a carriage ride through Windsor next week. Kate, who has opened up about her 'rollercoaster' cancer recovery, its life-changing impact and putting on a 'brave face', will carry out royal duties as part of the French leader's state visit on Tuesday. Kensington Palace has yet to confirm whether or not the princess will attend the banquet in Windsor Castle's St George's Hall in the evening. The princess, who was diagnosed with cancer in 2024 and confirmed she was free from the disease at the start of this year, last made an appearance at a grand royal dinner 20 months ago in November 2023 in honour of the South Korean president. Mr Macron's state visit to the UK, from July 8-10, is the first to be hosted at Windsor Castle, rather than Buckingham Palace, in a more than a decade since that of the Irish president Michael D Higgins in 2014. In a personal touch, the King and Queen will, on Wednesday, take the Macrons to see Fabuleu de Maucour, a 10-year-old grey gelding which Mr Macron gifted to known horse-lover the late Queen Elizabeth II in 2022 in celebration of her Platinum Jubilee. Fabuleu de Maucour belonged to the largely ceremonial French Republican Guard and was trained to carry the standard-bearer. They will also view an elegant Charabanc carriage from the Royal Mews, which was a present to Queen Victoria from King Louis-Philippe of France in 1844. And the Macrons will privately pay their respects at the late Queen's tomb in St George's Chapel by laying flowers in tribute. Charles, Ranger of Windsor Great Park, will also invite the president to tour the Windsor Castle Gardens, including areas of nature restoration and biodiversity and the wider Great Park. State visits, which capitalise on the royals' soft power to strengthen diplomatic ties overseas, have moved from Buckingham Palace to Windsor for the next few years while reservicing work continues at the London royal residence and starts to affect the state rooms. The arrangements are likely to form the template for US president Donald Trump's high-profile state visit in September, but much will depend on security considerations for the US leader, who survived an assassination attempt last year. William and Kate will meet Mr and Mrs Macron at RAF Northolt on Tuesday morning on behalf of the King and travel with them to Windsor. Charles and Camilla will formerly greet their guests on a Royal Dais constructed on Datchet Road in Windsor town centre, with the castle in the backdrop as gun salutes sound in nearby Home Park. The King, the Queen, the Waleses and Mr and Mrs Macron will then take a carriage procession through the Berkshire town and along part of the Long Walk which leads to the castle, just like President Sarkozy did. A ceremonial welcome will be staged in the castle's quadrangle with Camilla, William, Kate and Mrs Macron watching as the King and Mr Macron inspect the Guard of Honour. Lunch will be hosted in the State Dining Room, after which the president and his wife, the King and Queen and members of the royal family will view a special exhibition of items relating to France from the Royal Collection in the Green Drawing Room. Mr and Mrs Macron will also travel to London on Tuesday afternoon to see the Grave of the Unknown Warrior at Westminster Abbey, visit the Palace of Westminster where the French leader will address parliamentarians in the Royal Gallery, and meet opposition leaders at Lancaster House. The King and president will both deliver speeches at the banquet on Tuesday evening. Wednesday will see the president and Mrs Macron join Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and Lady Starmer for lunch at Downing Street, ahead of a UK-France summit at Number 10 on Thursday. The King and Queen paid a state visit to France in September 2023 and enjoy a warm rapport with Mr and Mrs Macron, who will stay in the castle during their trip. The last state visit to the UK from France was in March 2008 when the now-disgraced president Nicolas Sarkozy, since convicted of corruption and influence peddling, and his wife Carla Bruni, were the guests of Elizabeth II at Windsor. The King, who is still being treated for cancer, has had a busy recent run of engagements, carrying out a host of visits in Scotland for Royal Week. Kate, who spoke about the challenges of her recovery during a visit to the RHS's Wellbeing Garden at Colchester Hospital on Wednesday, took part in the Qatari state visit last December, accompanying the Emir to Horse Guards Parade with William, attending the ceremonial welcome, the lunch and the Picture Gallery exhibition.
Daily Mail
2 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Fans reveal how to get cheaper tickets at Wimbledon Centre Court
By Tickets for Centre Court deep into the first week are at Wimbledon are like gold fans on social media have been sharing how visitors to the All England Club can bag seats at the world's most famous court for a steal. While the official ballot saw tickets for the main show court, which seats just shy of 15,000 people, allocated months ago - it's still entirely possibly to watch the world's top tennis stars go for glory as the tournament progresses. Ordinarily tickets for Centre Court start at £105, rising to £315 for the finals they can go for thousands in the re-sale market, with rich tourists often paying eye-watering prices to get the sought-after tickets. One company this week, Wimbledon Debenture Holders, is offering the super rich a pair of tickets for men's final day on July 14th for a cool £20,500 - or £10,250 each. However, as tennis fans on social media are sharing, with a little patience and a dose of good luck, visitors can still get tickets to see the biggest matches for as little as £15. On Instagram, travel blogger @overpackedsuitcase detailed how Wimbledon's official re-sale ticket scheme, which re- allocates seats that are empty - either because spectators have left for the day, or they didn't turn up in the first place, works. In a post entitled: 'How I got Centre Court tickets for £15 at Wimbledon', the London-based influencer revealed her tips for transforming a grounds pass into a Centre Court ticket. Grounds passes cost £30 until the second Tuesday of the tournament when they drop to £20 as there are less matches on the outside courts. Once you're inside the All England Club - after enduring that famous queue - you can join the queue at the re-sale ticket kiosk, in the Parkside area of the grounds, adjacent to Court No.1. Say fans, visitors should specify which court you'd be open to buy re-sale tickets for, with Wimbledon's show courts, Court No.1 and No.2 marginally easier to get than tickets for Centre Court. They're also cheaper at £10 a ticket. After that, it's all about patience. Early evening, when people have seen hours of play and decided to go home is ripe with opportunity for picking up bargain re-sale tickets. On TikTok, @therunnersbox shared video footage of the process, advising fans: 'Make sure you scan the resale QR code as soon as you can for chance of a show court.' Proceeds from the tickets go to the Wimbledon Foundation charity, so there's a side portion of feel-good factor to be enjoyed too. Aside from the re-sale chance, there's also a total of 500 tickets for Centre Court - excluding the last four days - No.1 Court, and No.2 Court available for the days that they are in play - but it's first-come, first-served. Tennis fans were advised on Monday to stay away from Wimbledon after the grounds reached capacity before 9am. Earl's Court tube station in west London, a popular changeover point en route to Wimbledon, was packed with fans who had flown in from all over the world. But an announcement over the PA system quickly put a dampener on the excitement after it was revealed the grounds were already 'at capacity' before 9am. The tournament has a maximum grounds capacity of 42,000 spectators. Mail Sport revealed earlier this month that the price of strawberries has increased for this year's tournament. The All England Club have taken great pride in freezing the price of strawberries at £2.50 per portion since 2010, but Mail Sport revealed prices had increased by 20p for 2025. The club sell around 140,000 punnets per year, meaning the new price will bring in an extra £28,000. At £2.70 the event's iconic snack is easily the best value food on site. Wimbledon is also one of the very few sporting events which allows fans to bring in their own food and drink - including alcohol - so visitors on a budget can always bring in their own strawberries.
