As large numbers of visitors begin to flock to the Cornish coast, the Cornwall Marine and Coastal Code Group is sending out a timely reminder on how to responsibly enjoy watching marine wildlife such as dolphins and basking sharks.

The species most often affected are seabirds and seals as they come on to land to rest, but dolphins and basking sharks close to shore will quickly attract a lot of attention, making them vulnerable to overcrowding or being chased and can lead to accidents.

The Cornwall Marine and Coastal Code group includes Cornwall Wildlife Trust, the RSPB, Cornwall Seal Group, National Trust, Marine Stranding Network and the British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR), Cornwall Council, Devon and Cornwall Police Marine & Coastal Policing Team, the Marine Management Organisation and Natural England.

Full guidelines can be found on the Cornwall Wildlife Trust’s website. These recommendations include:

• keep your distance from resting animals such as seals and seabirds on land
• remain calm and quiet so resting animals are not disturbed and scared off
• move slowly and avoid sudden changes in direction and speed if animals are nearby
• stay side on to the animals while watching them rather than approaching directly
• if there are other boats/kayaks etc nearby then ensure the animals have plenty of space and an obvious escape route should they choose to leave, and to not pursue them when they do

One such incident off Padstow in 2013 resulted in the death of a bottlenose dolphin calf from a local inshore pod, threatening the long-term survival of the group. The people responsible were successfully prosecuted.

Dan Jarvis from BDMLR said:

The South West has an amazing range of marine species that are a big part of why lots of people love to visit the region, but sometimes people’s encounters with our wildlife do not go well for the animals involved.

We are incredibly fortunate that we have these animals here in the first place and it is a privilege that we’re able to see them, so we want to help people get the best out of these encounters by following some simple guidelines that will avoid causing distress and harm.

By encouraging people to use these guidelines, we hope that they in turn will share them with others, so that many more people are aware of how their actions, and those of others, can affect the behaviour of animals that need to use these habitats too. We are all out on the coast to enjoy the amazing environment we have here and we need to make sure the animals that live there are still able to enjoy it too, otherwise they could abandon the area and we all lose out.

Guidance for recreational boaters

The Green Blue, the joint environment campaign run by the Royal Yachting Association and British Marine, has worked with other organisations including the MMO to produce The Green Wildlife Guide for Boaters. This advises boaters on how to get the best experience out of their wildlife encounters by acting responsibly and cautiously to minimize the risk of disturbance while keeping participants and their boats safe.

The guide is available online or a hard copy can be obtained by emailing info@thegreenblue.org.uk.

Campaign Manager for The Green Blue, Kate Fortnam, said:

It is perfectly safe and lawful to view marine wildlife by adopting a few simple measures – acting responsibly and cautiously to minimise the risk of disturbance is always the safest course of action.

Visit thegreenblue.org.uk for your copy of The Green Wildlife Guide for Boaters, or drop us a line for a hard copy.

Reporting incidents of marine wildlife disturbance

If you see marine species such as dolphins, porpoise or whales being disturbed, please contact your nearest MMO office or local police force wildlife crime officer on 101.

Incidents of disturbance in Cornwall can be reported to the Cornwall Wildlife Trust’s disturbance hotline on 0345 201 2626, which has seen a steady increase in the number of calls over the last few weeks with the warmer weather.

Laws protecting marine wildlife

Details of the laws protecting marine species can be found on the Government’s website.. They have also been previously explained by the MMO.

Information about certificates on the energy efficiency of domestic and non-domestic buildings in England and Wales that have been constructed, sold, or let since 2008, and of larger public authority buildings since 2008. These statistics do not cover the entire building stock across England and Wales.

Figures are drawn from 2 datasets on the Energy Performance of Buildings Registers:

• Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) for domestic and non-domestic properties covering England and Wales

• Display Energy Certificates (DECs) for larger buildings occupied by public authorities in England and Wales

Oil Fuel Depots

The Oil & Pipelines Agency (OPA) is responsible for 6 Naval Oil Fuel Depots in the UK. It works on behalf of the Secretary of State for Defence. It is a statutory public corporation sponsored by the Ministry of Defence (MOD).

Gosport Oil Fuel Depot

The site comprises 2 site offices, the main site area that holds 17 storage tanks and the jetty area, which allows delivery to and from ships.

The site is on Forton Road, Gosport, Hampshire PO12 4TH.

The types of fuel stored at Gosport are kerosene (also known as aviation fuel, jet fuel or AVCAT) and diesel.

Site redevelopment

A multi-million pound redevelopment project to replace the tanks and upgrade other buildings which, subject to planning consent will commence in 2018.

The fuel tanks are over 100 years old and are approaching their end of service life. The project will ensure that the depot will be fully equipped to meet the future requirements of the Royal Navy’s new Queen Elizabeth Class carriers.

Work to be carried out

The redevelopment of the site will be phased in order for business to continue.

The existing tanks will be replaced with tanks of a similar size or smaller in some instances, although there will be fewer of them. The tanks will be cut down individually and replaced and phased in rows of 2.

The existing offices will also be replaced and there will be an improved site entrance and improved security provision around the site. A new gate house will be built with upgraded security provision around the site and the site offices will be relocated.

Project timescales

Work began in 2018.

The project is expected to finish by spring 2021.

Noise and disruption management

We will work with Gosport Borough Council to make every effort to keep potential disruption to a minimum. A construction traffic management plan is in place and is aimed to minimise any potential impact to residents.

When the tanks are removed there will be some construction noise and dust. We will be using contractors who are members of the Considerate Constructors Scheme, full and appropriate mitigation measures will be put in place to limit any impact on our neighbours and local community. In addition, noise and dust levels will be monitored on site to ensure that they fall within acceptable limits set by the local planning authority as part of the planning application.

Working hours

Access to the site is permitted between 07:30 and 18:30 Monday to Friday but actual working hours are restricted to 8am to 6pm.

Site access is permitted on Saturday between 07:30 and 13:30 but actual working hours are restricted to 8 am to 1pm.

Traffic management

There will be movement of materials and staff to and from the site throughout the construction period and a construction traffic management plan is in place to cover facilitate this. We are also working with the council, local communities and individuals to minimise road congestion where possible particularly during peak times.

The contractors’ offsite car parking is located within the vicinity of the Gosport OFD.

Site security

As an operational COMAH site, naval asset and construction site, we have a legal and moral obligation to ensure safety and security is maintained at all times.

Community Relations Team

We have a dedicated project team who are happy to answer any questions you might have. We will also be issuing project updates to our neighbours and any other interested parties.

You can contact the OPA Community Relations Team by:

By telephone: 08000 499 734
By email: GosportOFD@communitycomms.co.uk

Related information

• OPA Oil Fuel Depots
• Oil fuel depot public information notice

The Environment Agency consults the public on certain applications for Radioactive Substances Activity. The arrangements are explained in its Public Participation Statement

These notices explain:

• what the application is about
• which Environment Agency office you can visit to see the application documents on the public register
• when you need to comment by

The Environment Agency will decide:

• whether to grant or refuse the application
• what conditions to include in the permit (if granted)

Representatives of Dockside Ltd, a company that owns a wet fish shop in Fleetwood, Lancashire, were ordered to pay £4,715.27 by Blackpool Magistrates Court on 26 July 2017.

The company pleaded guilty to purchasing first-sale fish directly from a fishing boat other than as a registered buyer, contrary to regulation 8 of the Registration of Fish Buyers and Sellers and Designation of Fish Auction Sites Regulations 2005.

The court heard how the Marine Management Organisation acted after being made aware the company had been purchasing fish from a number of vessels without being a registered buyer with the MMO. Upon investigation marine officers found the company had purchased £18,487 of fish between April 2014 and September 2016 while being an unregistered buyer of first-sale fish.

The company was fined £2,000 and ordered to pay an additional £2,545.27 in costs and a victim surcharge of £170.

The Registered Buyers and Sellers Scheme is designed to help ensure that fish is traceable from net to plate and to monitor and protect fish stocks. The MMO has produced a guide on the regulations for buying and selling fish.