Blue Seas Protection’s Coastal Curiosity Week

Looking for something to do this Half Term? Look no further than Blue Seas Protection's Coastal Curiosity Week!

Four days of family fun and conservation related activities. Read on to find out more!

BEACH CLEAN AND NURDLE HUNT.

Join Blue Seas Protection, Plastic Free Shanklin and Shanklin Green Town Volunteers on a nurdle hunt for tiny ‘Nurdles’ on Shanklin’s beautiful beach, so that we can remove as many nurdles as we can from our seaside environment!

Every one we find is one less on our beach or in our sea.

But What is a Nurdle?

They may sound cute and cuddly but Nurdles are actually pre-made pellets of hard solid plastic approx. 2-5mm in size; a Nurdle’s sole purpose in life is to be melted down and manufactured into larger more recognisable plastics, which we all use day to day…however, due to their small size, Nurdles tend to escape from the factories, transit lorries + shipping containers accidentally releasing them into the ‘wild’ before some of them are washed up onto our beaches!

These Nurdle plastics are all the colours of the rainbow, so they stand out on the beach if you look carefully, making it easier for us to spot + pick up; we are on a mission to track down as many Wild Nurdles as we can, (along with microplastics) within this 2 hour hunt!

Nurdles are so small so why are they a problem?

All plastic breaks down quickly in the sun, wind, rain and the action of the sea waves speeds the ‘breakdown process’ up. In a landfill environment it is estimated to take approx. 500 years for plastics to break down (decompose). Unfortunately ‘wild plastic’ such as tiny Nurdles, break down within years as these natural forces rapidly breakdown them down into smaller and smaller pieces. The problem is that these ‘microplastics’ are small enough to be eaten by fish, sea creatures, birds and then we eat the fish – so the microplastic enters our food web too! Scientists are still researching if this is affecting our long-term health.

We hope to see as many of you as we can on Sunday 20th February 2022 at Shanklin The South East Beach Cafe (at the bottom of Hope Road), 10am – 12pm.

Wrap up warm! Don’t forget your welly-boots, hand sanitiser and flasks of hot drinks or snacks!

Make sure to register your interest on their Facebook Event 

 

World Ocean Day 2022

FAMILY FUN DAYS

Did you know that Mermaid’s Purses are actually empty eggcases for baby Sharks and Skates that live in Sandown Bay?

Blue Seas Protection will be hosting two Eggcase hunts over Half term!

Come down and join us at the Yaverland Sailing Club on Tuesday 22nd and Friday 25th February 2022 – 11-3pm for a day of citizen science and family friendly activities.

Whatever the weather, come inside and create your own Mermaid’s Purse as a special unique Mother’s Day Gift, followed by a hunt for REAL Mermaid’s Purses on Yaverland Beach! Join us for a day of indoor and outdoor events. Teas, Coffees and light refreshments will be available for a small donation

Come along, relax and discover with the following activities throughout the two days:

  • ‘Mermaid’s Purses, Seahorses, Sharks + Skates’ 3D Creative Card Workshops

Using Creative Card 2D + 3D modelling techniques and a drop of imagination, we can create a table-top of your favourite sea creatures such as Seahorses, Starfish and Sharks!

Or create a beautiful Mermaid’s Purse and seal inside a special message ready for Mother’s Day on Sunday 27th March 2022.

As we create, let’s explore the science of the sea creatures you are creating, what makes them special, why they need to be protected and how you can make a difference to their habitat. Every family member is invited to let their sea imaginations and creativity run wild…

£1.30 per creative card model

Note: models take between 20min - 1 hour to create but stay and create as long as you like!

  • ‘Who lives in the Bay?’

Complete these interactive quiz sheets as a family to discover fun facts about the incredible creatures living in Sandown Bay!

  • Blue Seas Protection Interactive Display

Want to see real Mermaid’s Purses?

Come along and handle Shark Eggcases which can be found all along Sandown Bay. Learn how to identify them, spot their differences, find out why our sharks + skates are special and why they need protecting.

  • Shark Eggcase Hunt:

Join Blue Seas Protection down on the Yaverland beach as we hunt, rummage, trail, trace and track down as many Shark eggcases as we can within 2 hours!

Join in with The Eggcase Citizen Science Survey and hear about the current results. If you’re interested in local marine conservation, find out more about the work that Blue Seas Protection does and they’ll show you what to look out for when you’re hunting on the beach!

Tuesday 22nd February 2022 – 11am-12pm (1h Eggcase Hunt)

Friday 25th February 2022 – 2-3pm (1h Eggcase Hunt)

All activities suitable for ages 3 -103 ,Children must be accompanied by parents and guardians!

A survey of Egg Cases