manxwt.org.uk

IN THE SEA

The clean, plankton-rich waters surrounding the Isle of Man contain many underwater marine habitats. Spectacular underwater cliffs, rocky reefs, kelp forests, sea grass, mearl and mussel beds support a remarkable diversity of life. The seagrass and horse mussel beds are of particular ecological interest. The Manx Wildlife Trust hopes to recruit volunteers to continue surveys of these rare habitats.

Coastal waters support commercial fisheries for scallop, queenie (a small species of scallop), lobster and crab. Scampi, herring, mackerel and other fish are also caught.

The wonderful underwater scenery and rich marine life attract scuba divers from all over the world. The water is often very clear. Strong currents around the rocky cliffs support some beautiful communities of filter feeders including sponges, anemones and soft corals.

The Seasearch programme was set up to allow recreational divers to add to our knowledge of the marine environment by training divers to record the species they see. The Isle of Man now has a Seasearch coordinator, Tony Glen, who can be contacted at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it for more information about getting involved.

BETWEEN THE TIDES

The rich sea life of the Isle of Man is most accessible to the general public at low tide on the Island’s rocky shores. Wonderful tide pools are to be found all over the Island. Some of the best are at Scarlett, near Castletown. Visit the Manx Wildlife Trust’s Visitor Centre there and learn more about the animals you are seeing.

Tidepools high on the shore are difficult places to live. The temperature and saltiness of the water fluctuate widely. Animals and plants living here have to deal with bird predators at low tide and fish and crab predators at high tide. Only a few tough species such as transparent shrimps and bright green seaweeds thrive here.

Mid shore pools have more complicated ecosystems. Red, green and brown seaweeds provide homes for a rich variety of animal life. You may find beadlet anemones, shore crabs, hermit crabs, shrimps and cushion starfish. You will certainly see limpet, periwinkle and dogwhelk. Fish such as gobies, blennies, butterfish and scorpion fish live here.

At the extreme low tide mark you might find lobsters, large edible crabs, sea urchins, starfish and the beautiful dahlia anemone nestling amongst the kelp.

Try not to walk in the tidepools as this might damage the plants and animals. If you sit quietly you will be able to observe the wildlife in the pool rather than removing them and risking harming them. Remember, this is a slippery, dangerous place to be. Never go alone.

OVER THE SEA

The Isle of Man boasts a wide diversity of habitats for sea and coastal birds.

There are spectacular cliffs, wide sandy beaches, a unique lichen heath, coastal grasslands and some salt marsh. Beaches backed by sand dunes, maritime heath, gravel pits and freshwater ponds provide complex bird habitats.

The Island has some excellent seabird colonies and a thriving breeding population of the rare chough. Many waders and waterfowl such as redshank and wigeon visit the Island during their annual migrations and in the winter.

The bird observatory at the Calf of Man is run by Manx National Heritage. It has operated since 1959. Many rare bird species have been recorded at the Calf, and it’s home to many seabird species including Manx shearwater, razorbill, cormorant, shag, fulmar, guillemot (photo, right) and puffin. Boat trips can be taken to the Calf from Port Erin or Port St. Mary.  Gannets (photo, left) can often be seen around the coast too.

WHALES AND DOLPHINS

12 species of whales and dolphins (collectively called cetaceans) have been recorded in Manx waters over the last few years.

Three of these are seen very regularly – the Harbour porpoise, the Risso’s dolphin and the Minke whale: Harbour porpoises, the smallest cetacean found in Britain, are found all round the island and in all months of the year, but are easier to see when the sea is flat calm. The deep waters just off the Manx coast bring Risso’s dolphins (usually an offshore species) within easy sight of shore, especially on the east and south coasts.  Minke whales are the smallest of the baleen whales and are seen off the west coast in the summer and east coast in the autumn, feeding on the herring.

Other species that are seen fairly frequently are the bottlenose dolphin (especially in winter months), the common dolphin and the mighty killer whale.

Visit the MWT supported Manx Whale and Dolphin Watch website (www.mwdw.net ) for more details and to view and report recent sightings.

BASKING SHARKS

In summer the waters of the Isle of Man are home to one of the worlds largest concentrations of basking sharks. These wonderful creatures are the second largest fish in the world. They can grow to about 11.5m and weigh over 7 tonnes. They are found all round the Island but are more frequently sighted off the west coast. The numbers seen vary widely from year to year. It is sometimes possible to see them from the shore or you can take a boat trip.

Basking sharks are plankton-eating filter feeders with plate-like teeth that are harmless to humans. Their huge mouths contain many thousands of mucous covered gill rakers that filter plankton out of the water. Basking sharks swim just below the surface of the water, filtering out the plankton which concentrate there. A shark takes about an hour to filter the amount of water needed to fill a 50m swimming pool.

Legislation protects these gentle creatures from being hunted or disturbed in British waters but many countries still hunt them for their liver oil and for their large fins which are used to make shark’s fin soup. They breed very slowly, bearing just a few live young every few years. It also seems likely that most of the animals caught are females.

MANX BASKING SHARK WATCH

Manx Basking Shark Watch is a public sightings scheme and scientific research project run by the Manx Wildlife Trust.

After the success of our recent two-year tagging project, which provided information about a shark that had travelled all the way to Canada, a further eight satellite tags were deployed on sharks in Manx waters in 2009. This will hopefully lead to better information about what the sharks are doing when they are here and where they travel to when they leave. Other scientific projects being carried out are fin identification and behaviour studies.

To find out more, or to report a sighting, go to the Manx Basking Shark Watch website (www.manxbaskingsharkwatch.com )