A little while has passed since the last seagrass update. I am fairly new with Project Seagrass and now well placed to contribute to the good ongoing work in Dale. I’m pleased to say we have some budget for picking up momentum with general awareness raising and working with the local community and users. I’m looking forward to meeting many of you during Dale Pirate Day on 3rd June!
Unfortunately, one of the seagrass visitor mooring buoys was found washed up earlier in the year, with follow-up inspections finding that the other buoys were not fit for purpose (due to a fault during manufacture). They have now been repaired, approved appropriate and safe and will be reinstalled imminently by Dale Sailing Company. Work is being done to promote their use, and to encourage donations towards their upkeep.
There is also activity this summer to reseed some of the areas of the planted seagrass where it has been lost, topping up what was done previously. Seagrass seeds will be planted by boat and Remote Underwater Vehicles in the same location as previous planting took place. This work has been shared with the Dale Seagrass Stakeholder Group. The seagrass will be surveyed again this September to see how it is establishing.
Windswept Watersports will be running some seagrass paddleboard sessions this summer. If you’d like to learn more about the seagrass/have any ideas for further seagrass-related activities that need some funding, please let me know!