BU hosts 'Marine Wildlife in Boscombe' event

Date: 26 October 2011

BU event studies marine life on the Boscombe Surf Reef.

Whilst the Bournemouth public and council are in a constant debate over the worthiness of Boscombe’s very first artificial surf reef, marine explorations have been diving into the depth of its biodiversity developments.

Today and Yesterday Marine Biology students from Bournemouth University’s School of Applied Sciences are hosting a ‘Marine Wildlife in Boscombe’ event in partnership with a number of ecologists to compare “How the reef forms as a nursery area. We will work with fisherman to collect data and samples. The second objective is to see what colonises the reef and to compare the colonisation to natural reefs”, said Dr Roger Herbert, Senior Lecturer in Marine and Coastal Biology.

Over the past 3 years marine biology students at BU have been studying the rich biodiversity that has developed on Europe’s first artificial surf reef. So far over 100 species have been found on the Boscombe Surf Reef, including algae, molluscs, crustaceans and fish, which have been recorded since the structure was completed last autumn.

Michael, a Masters student from Applied Science and Research said:

“We are just raising awareness as the reef hasn’t worked as well as it has done in the past, and showing there is a lot of biodiversity, and the reef is reaching a second potential which is breeding wildlife.”

In order to extend this research into the local community, Bournemouth University’s School of Applied Sciences are holding the ‘Marine Wildlife at Boscombe’ event from Tuesday 25 and today Wednesday 26 October at Boscombe Seafront, (next to Ubran Reef) from 10am-4pm each day.

Visitors will be able to study marine life displayed in aquaria and species caught in nets and traps, participate in activities to discover what is beneath the waves with talks, quizzes and film footage of the reef.

Dr Herbert and his team’s research is supported by the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation. The Bournemouth University scientists aim to quantify the colonisation of marine organisms on the reef structure and compare the results with nearby natural rocky outcrops in Poole Bay and the artificial Boscombe and Bournemouth Pier structures.

The project is also in association with project URBANE (Urban Research on Biodiversity in Artificial & Natural Coastal Environments), and should influence design guidelines for future construction in the sea.

The ‘Marine Wildlife at Boscombe’ event is supported by Bournemouth Borough Council, the Friends of Boscombe Pier group called ‘Inspieration’, the RNLI, Urban Reef, Bournemouth Oceanarium, Boscombe Area Regeneration Group (BARG), National Oceanography Centre, and Dorset Wildlife Trust.

Marine Wildlife at Boscombe also made BBC South last night, and is shown at the 13.45 mark.