Anna Turns and Maya Plass are now fully trained marine strandings volunteers, able to assess and record any dead stranded marine mammals on behalf of the Devon Wildlife Trust.
The pair took part in a Marine Strandings Volunteer training day last Saturday at the Seashore centre in Goodrington, organised by the Devon Wildlife Trust.
The pair took part in a Marine Strandings Volunteer training day last Saturday at the Seashore centre in Goodrington, organised by the Devon Wildlife Trust.
Maya and Anna are both passionate about marine conservation on the South Devon coast. Maya Plass, a marine biologist, lives in Bantham and runs her own marine education business, Learn to Sea. She will be working closely with biologist, Anna Turns at Whitestrand Boat Hire in Salcombe - together they'll be running marine eco-cruises on board Calypso, and both are involved in many aspects of marine conservation locally. “The course was really rewarding and we all learnt a lot about how strandings can provide a real insight into the state of our seas. Data like this is crucial to understanding how best to conserve our marine wildlife”, explained Anna.
Lauren Davis from the Devon Wildlife Trust invited a group of 12 volunteers for training. “We felt there was an urgent need along the South Hams coastline for trained locals able to obtain essential strandings information and to take photos for our records” said Lauren.
The group were taught how to identify different species of dolphins, whales and seals. Maya said “We used life sized models on the beach to practise measuring and sexing the carcasses. In a real life situation, we would also examine the bodies for signs of disease, wounds, and decomposition”. Training also involved health and safety aspects and volunteers were supplied with a ‘kit’ of essential equipment, so they are fully prepared in the event of a stranding.
The species most likely to strand along this local coastline are the common dolphin, harbour porpoise and grey seal. The main threats to marine animals are accidental bycatch and entanglement, collisions with vessels, disease, disturbance and marine pollution. Strandings provide crucial information about why and how the animals died, and comparing this with live sightings also gives an indication of the species’ population and general health of the marine environment. Rare species or specimens in particularly good condition will be sent to the Natural History Museum in London for a full post-mortem.
If you come across any dead animals, please do not touch. Call Devon Biodiveristy Records Centre on 01392 274128 as soon as possible. Live strandings should be reported immediately to British Divers Marine Life Rescue on 01825 765546.
