The Salcombe-Kingsbridge estuary is very special to everyone that gets to know it but for most, this love is only skin deep! Dip in a bit deeper (well – quite a bit deeper really) and you’ll see that this estuary has hidden depths. We can all admire the wonderful views of the estuary but if we could all take a similar peak at its underwater world, the colours, diversity and richness of the wildlife would pale the topside views!

We’ve been harping on that our ‘estuary’ doesn’t have a river feeding it for some years now but this is only one of the factors that help to make it unusual – other factors include the topography and aspect, the position and climate. None truly unique but together they give some unusual habitats which support some unusual and quite often rare species of seaweed, plant or animal.

We trust that we can rely upon you active support to help us. Even if conservation isn’t your thing, recent research suggests that our health very much depends upon a healthy local environment, so consider that you have a vested interest!.

Why is this estuary so special?

The diversity of wildlife found here is unusual because the habitats are also unusual. The habitats are relatively warm, very sheltered and almost entirely marine conditions. With an extreme spring tidal range of almost 6 metres, 19 million cubic metres or tonnes of seawater surge into the estuary with each tide, creating very strong currents and eddies. These strong currents carry minute particles of food, detritus and plankton which encourage a rich diversity of filter feeding animals. The channel beds of the upper estuary creeks are sand / silt bottomed, and frequently covered by huge populations of brittle stars, peacock worms and sea squirts.

How can we help to protect the Estuary?

• Fishing We all know the dangers of discarded fishing hooks, lines and nets so there is no excuse for discarding it. Please dispose of these in a bin.

• Rubbish Just as you would on land, please take your empties, plastic bags, drink cans and all other rubbish to a designated skip, or better still, recycle what you can at the Shadycombe car park. Remember, polythene bags in the sea look just like jelly fish to turtles and sunfish that like to eat them. Eating them causes death through starvation if they get caught in the animals’ digestive tract.

• Plastics Plastic four-pack holders of drink cans are notorious for getting caught around the necks of young animals, cutting in as the animal grows. Always make certain that these go deep in the bin and better still cut all the loops first.

• Waste Oil Dispose of oil responsibly at a waste oil centre. This includes engine oil filters, oily rags, used engine oil and contaminated diesel. Waste petrol must only be taken to a hazardous waste reception centre and must not be put into the waste oil tank.

• Oil Pollution The environmental damage caused by oil is well documented and publicised. Less well known are the chronic effects of low level oil pollution; drips from engines or slops from fuelling and over zealous topping up, always seem to collect in the bilges. Oils spread out quickly on water and seem to disappear but oils, including diesel fuels, are a complex cocktail of chemicals, some of which evaporate into the atmosphere, some float just under the surface and the rest sinks to the seabed. Some of the chemicals are very toxic even in small amounts having hidden but significant impact on such things as the reproductive success of otters or commercially important fish that we eat.

• Antifouling When antifouling always put down a tarpaulin or similar to catch the drips. Always sweep up the scrapings and place them with the empty paint tins, rags and paintbrushes in the designated harbour authority bin. Consider using one of the new generation of environmentally benign antifouling paints now available that use physical rather than chemical properties.

• Paint Antifouling paint is always a contentious issue; most of these paints work by being very toxic to marine life but don’t use it and you’ll end up using more fuel. However there are plenty of things that can and should be done to minimise the potential impact of ‘antifoul’, right from the first paint stroke

• Anchoring Avoid anchoring or driving your propeller through the eel grass beds.

• Eel Grass Please be extra careful around the eel grass beds off the East Portlemouth beaches, the main western channel and the area off South Sands. Eel grass beds support a particularly rich community, from seahorses and pipefish to maternity stocks of commercially important fish and cuttlefish.

• Saltstone Due to the nature conservation interests and vulnerability of the saltstone you are asked to keep well clear and not to attempt landing here, except in an emergency.

• Aliens We now have many alien plants and animals that have come from other continents. Away from their normal predators to keep them in balance, they can take over habitats from our native species. We call them invasive aliens. Japweed is an infamous example.

• Animal Waste Please help us to control further invasions by putting all plant or animal waste from abroad, particularly shellfish, in the waste skip.

The more we understand the estuary and its wildlife, the more we can all do to conserve it. Thank you.