The Environment Agency is working together with partners at Groundwork North East & Cumbria and Yorkshire Wildlife Trust on the pilot project.
New artificial habitats including a living sea wall, rock pools and hanging fish shelters are being installed at Whitby Harbour as part of a pilot project to boost biodiversity and improve water quality in the River Esk.
The man-made marine habitats are being created as part of Better Estuaries and Coastal Habitats (BEACH) Esk, a partnership project between the Environment Agency, Yorkshire Wildlife Trust and Groundwork North East & Cumbria, supported by private local landowners, Scarborough Borough Council and Yorkshire Water.
The aim of the project is to trial a range of artificial marine habitats to identify which have the most success attracting marine life species and colonisation. The School of Biological and Marine Sciences at Hull University will monitor the results.
It is hoped that the pilot will pave the way for interventions to be rolled out in other estuaries in future.
Allison Pierre, project lead for the Environment Agency, said: “The ecological health of our rivers must improve. Historic man-made structures in our estuaries and the ongoing pressures from human activity are adversely affecting water quality, habitat and wildlife. Creating artificial habitats will provide an opportunity for nature to thrive above and below the water and, combined with other interventions such as reducing pollution upstream and creating new saltmarsh and wetland, will help communities reconnect with their local rivers, bring shelter and food for fish and wildlife, and support improvements in water quality.”
More on:
Posted On: 26/01/2023