Happy Earth Day

Today is Earth Day - people all around the world are taking part. This year is the environmental movement's 40th anniversary. Be a part of it, find out more at http://www.earthday.org/

Earth Day Network was founded on the premise that all people, regardless of race, gender, income, or geography, have a moral right to a healthy, sustainable environment. The mission is to broaden and diversify the environmental movement worldwide, and to promote a healthy, sustainable environment. More than 1 billion people participate in Earth Day activities, making it the largest secular civic event in the world.

Dolphins spotted at the Bar

All onboard our Mackerel Fishing Trip this morning had a real treat when Tank the skipper spotted approximately 12 dolphins!!

The dolphins were playing around at the mouth of the estuary before making their way back out to sea with the outgoing tide.

Hopefully the dolphins will be back soon for us to enjoy watching from a distance!

Plankton under the Microscope

PHYTOPLANKTON

Maya took home the plankton 'seafood soup' we collected on Thursday's Sea Safari and popped it under her microscope - look what we found! Amazing pictures just go to show the water in our estuary is very much ALIVE!

TINY BABY LOBSTER

JELLY OR ALIEN???

FISH EGG

Devilled Mackerel Recipe

Stuck with how to cook your catch???

Try this yummy recipe for Devilled Mackerel (and more recipes will be on this blog soon, and if you have your own recipes to recommend, why not send them in to us info@whitestrandboathire.co.uk)

Serves 4
Ready in 30 mins

You will need:
4 mackerel, gutted
25g butter
1/2 tsp cayenne
1 tsp paprika
1tsp English mustard
1tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp brown sugar
Lemon wedges, new potatoes and green salad to serve

1. Preheat oven to 200C/180C fab/Gas 6. Cut 3 or 4 diagonal slashes on one side of each mackerel. Put in an ovenproof dish with cut side up.

2. Mix butter wit cayenne, paprika, mustard, balsamic vinegar and sugar. Spread a little in the slashes on the mackerel and then spread any leftover paste inside.

3. Bake for 20 mins or until cooked. Serve with lemon wedges, new potatoes and a green salad.

YUMMY!!! Let us know what you think (you can comment below!)

Sea Safari Success!!!

Wow what a day, both Maya and I (and our lovely families onboard) came away from todays trip with a real buzz. The 2 hour 'marine biology' trip was a first for Whitestrand (and probably for Salcombe!) - engaging, inspiring and lots of fun for everyone onboard.

Everything from a hydrophone to listen out for dolphin sounds, gannets diving to catch fish, Maya showed us a massive fan mussel (very rare and Salcombe is a hotspot) and a lovely dried seahorse she once found on the strandline.

Even our skipper Tom learnt a few new things about mackerel! And then at the end we checked our plankton net and were amazed to find so many tiny little critters in the seemingly clear water - and we have these tiny phytoplankton to thank for every second breath we take - they produce over half the atmospheric oxygen.

So Maya and I are both going to synchronise calendars and get lots more dates for Sea Safari trips in the diary for the summer school holidays....watch this space or contact our shop for details and how to book.

Thanks to all who came along today - we hope you enjoyed it as much as we did, and remember, isn't it lucky all boys don't change to girls at the age of 4 (like the funny cushion starfish do!!!)

Salcombe Sea Safari - This Week!!!

New for 2010, Anna at Whitestrand Boat Hire is collaborating with Learn to Sea's local marine biologist, Maya Plass, to offer a unique guided tour of the estuary.
Salcombe Sea Safari - Thursday 15th April 10am-12 noon, other dates TBC.
Come aboard Calypso and discover what lies beneath the waves.
Enjoy a guided tour of your coastal and marine environment in Salcombe estuary!

Family fun for the school holidays - £15 per adult, £10 per child under 16.

LIMITED SPACES - BOOKING ESSENTIAL
01548-843818 info@whitestrandboathire.co.uk

Eat sustainably caught fish!!!

Try catching your own dinner on one of our mackerel fishing trips, now running on board Calypso. There's nothing like the yummy taste of fresh mackerel cooked on the BBQ! Watch this space for recipes....

We encourage all our customers to only catch what they are going to eat, so we don't waste fish, and we throw any small fish back into the water so they can go on to breed.

Also, if you plan on buying fish or eating in restaurants, why not take a look at the Good Fish Guide - this is a really useful way of deciphering exactly which fish species are sustainably fished and not endangered. And you can always ask where and how the fish was caught before you buy! Local and seasonal produce is always best.

http://www.fishonline.org/information/MCSPocket_Good_Fish_Guide.pdf

And to find out more about fishing worldwide, The End of the Line is a great documentary which really hits home why we should ACT NOW!!! http://endoftheline.com/

Finding Sanctuary - calling all estuary users!

Whitestrand Boat Hire recently met up with Finding Sanctuary to discuss our use of Salcombe estuary and the surrounding coastline, as part of a region-wide move to calculate where best to position Marine Conservation Zones.

We detailed where exactly Calypso goes to sea and how often it goes to sea each month, plus numbers of hire boats month by month and where most of them land, beach and anchor. We are keen to minimise our impact on the estuary, so it felt important we actively contributed to this process.

Finding Sanctuary will collate all of this information with similar mapping information from boat users from across the South West to advise the government which areas need to be more protected from intense boating and watersport activity.

You too can have your say!!! But Finding Sanctuary need to hear from you before July 2010, so you can email info@finding-sanctuary.org or call 01392 878328 to arrange a meeting with them. An interactive map is also available online where you can share your information www.mczmapping.org

Anyone from surfers and paddle boarders to RIB-owners and commercial fishermen can get involved.

Also, look out for Anna's article in Devon Life magazine this May for more about the Finding Sanctuary project.