This National Marine Week, 26^th July to 10^th August, The Wildlife Trusts are uncovering the mysterious world of our seabeds. These vital habitats are full of incredible wildlife and store vast amounts of carbon, yet they are threatened with destruction by industrial scale fishing in many areas. 

Even Marine Protected Areas, of which there are 139 in Wales, are not yet fully protected from destructive fishing activities such as bottom trawling, where huge nets and chains are dragged along the ocean floor, bulldozing anything in their way.

The Baited Underwater Remote Video Systems (BRUVS) were deployed by a research team as part of the Dolphin Diet Detectives project, investigating dolphin diets and marine diversity in Cardigan Bay. The BRUVS were deployed in a range of habitats and left to record for just one hour at each location. The cameras have captured a huge range of wildlife both inside and outside of the protected areas, including Spider Crabs, Wrasse, and most recently an Angelshark. 

These sharks are Critically Endangered, suffering significant declines as a result of fishing and habitat degradation. They live on the seabed where they are well camouflaged to ambush flatfishes, crustaceans and molluscs. But their bottom dwelling lifestyle makes them vulnerable to being caught in trawl nets, and along with their slow reproduction rate this puts them at a high risk of extinction.

Dr Sarah Perry, Marine Conservation and Research Manager at WTSWW, said “We were thrilled to record an Angelshark in Cardigan Bay, a rare and exciting encounter. Before this project started, Angelsharks hadn’t been captured on film in Cardigan Bay since 2021. This sighting comes at a crucial time, as the Senedd and UK Government discuss a ban on bottom trawling in Marine Protected Areas.

Our Dolphin Diet Detectives project, funded by the Welsh Government through the Nature Networks Fund, uses underwater cameras to reveal the incredible diversity of life on the seabed. These findings highlight the urgent need to protect these fragile habitats from damaging activities like bottom trawling.”

The Wildlife Trusts are encouraging us all to stand up for our seabeds this summer. The UK Government is currently running a consultation on the practice of bottom trawling in Marine Protected Areas. Add your voice to this consultation by telling the Government to stop bottom trawling: Ban Bottom Trawling