Scarborough Sub Aqua Club’s Real Reefs Project won this year’s Peter Small Jubilee Trust Award for the most worthwhile and ambitious BSAC project conducted in UK waters. Gloabl Ocean has been funding Seasearch's Real Reefs Project for a number of years now.
The aim of the Real Reefs Project was to carry out Seasearch dives to gather information on wildlife and habitats at 20 previously unsurveyed sites between Whitby and Flamborough. In addition to recording marine wildlife, the Real Reefs project aimed to provide more accessible diving, ‘diving with a purpose’ and training opportunities for club members and divers from other clubs in the region.
Over 200 dives were carried out by 63 divers at 34 different sites along the Yorkshire coast. The project made a significant contribution to Seasearch, providing around 30% of the data collected in North East England this year. The dives filled gaps in our knowledge about the distribution of species on the Yorkshire Coast.
Many of the sites surveyed during the project were within the boundaries of recommended Marine Conservation Zones. The information gathered by divers will help to inform the designation.
The Peter Small Jubilee Trust Award is jointly administered by the Jubilee Trust and the BSAC National Diving Committee. It is awarded to projects which promote the advancement of underwater exploration and the education of the public by encouraging safe diving whilst conducting underwater study, research and exploration., management and monitoring of these sites.
We are thrilled to learn of this prestigious achievement awarded to Paula and Anne. It is also great to know Global Ocean's support for this work is not just at the national level as a data provider, but also at the local level. We are really excited about Seasearch's work and hope the results of this project will raise awareness of the amazing species that inhabit Britsh water and also contribute to the designation of many sites in the North East as Marine Conservation Zones.
