Ship To Shore Autumn 2006

Ship to Shore How can we engage people and share the secrets of the sea? Sarah Welton looks at interpretation techniques for engaging the public in coastal and marine issues.

L

ots of people visit the coast in holiday mood with time to explore an environment that is ‘different’ from home. To most of us,

the nearest we can get to ‘hands-on’ with the marine environment is rockpooling or visiting an aquarium – we cannot see or get to grips with what is below low water mark. How many people realise that the underwater

Glass bottom boat, The Fleet Observer runs trips on the Fleet Lagoon in Dorset, the largest saline lagoon in the UK, giving people an ‘up close and personal’ experience of the lagoon’s many marine and animal species. It is managed by the Fleet and Swannery Trust, and is operated on a not-for-profit basis.

10

The edge Autumn 2006

‘seascape’ is like the landscape we are familiar with? Reefs and gullies are like ridges and valleys, seagrass beds and kelp forests like grassy plains and woodland and the wildlife doesn’t stop at low water mark. The coast is a valuable link between our terrestrial world and the sea. Most of us are aware of the need for conservation on land, but marine conservation is lagging far behind – out of sight, out of mind, perhaps. Interpreting this unfamiliar world and

human impacts on it is a challenge but the plus side is that the sea is full of mystery. Who isn’t excited by the fact that we still know so little about what is under the sea? If we want people to appreciate and understand coastal and marine wildlife, be concerned about its conservation individual important

and take some it is responsibility, to select the best

mechanisms to get our messages across. Whatever our age, we learn when there is active involvement – people retain about 10 per cent of what they hear, 30 per cent of what they read, 50 per cent of what they see and 90 per cent of what they do, so we need to get people involved. With modern technology and more traditional methods at our disposal, how can we engage people and share

Purbeck Marine Wildlife Rescue

Snorkelling for softies

the secrets of the sea? Printed interpretive materials might sound ‘old hat’ but as marine life is so colourful and eye-catching, they can be a good way of getting messages across to a large audience, if resources are limited.

A

trick worth remembering is that if you

picture – subliminal but it really works! In such a watery place, water-proof guides are a good idea – laminated for the beach or printed on plastic for sea use! Helping people to explore marine and coastal environments and see the plants and animals for themselves has got to be a priority at an accessible coastal site. There are ways to do this to suit all budgets. Again guided walks and trails might seem old-fashioned but they are still as popular as ever, raise funds and provide the opportunity to get your messages across. Tools to help people look more closely when exploring rockpools and shallow water are a reverse periscope (easily made from drain pipe, Perspex and a small mirror), with which to peep under overhangs and masks so that participants can lie on rocks or ledges and see what snorkellers see without getting their feet wet – ‘Snorkelling for Softies’. When it comes to the offshore perspective, it is a bit more of a

pot, lifted from the seabed all help to understand what lies beneath the waves. It is often assumed that a glassbottomed boat will only work in the tropics but ‘The Fleet Observer’ in Dorset is proof that it can work here, too.

The sea is mysterious, exciting and fun, however, too often ‘out of sight…out of mind’. We can all share the secrets of the sea. Sarah Welton, Marine and Coastal Education, Interpretation and Training Email: [email protected]

Victoria Copley

want people to be attracted to a picture of the natural world, however stunning, include a person somewhere in the

challenge. Boat trips, plankton trawls, lifting submerged objects, eg a lobster

Access to the beach a problem? Remote techniques at coastal centres are the next best thing. Aquaria, touch tanks, touch tables, video (recorded or real-time), digital interactives, hydrophones – the scope is as endless as your budget and they bring the environment to the visitor. Events with a marine and coastal theme – SeaFest, Fish Festivals, Marine an opportunity to are Week communicate to a huge audience. Real-time underwater video, games and activities, displays and demonstrations don’t just interpret the natural world but also conservation issues. There are lots of good examples of coastal interpretation. What they have in common is they tell stories, are relevant to everyday experience, arouse curiosity and above all are enjoyable and don’t have to be ‘hi-tech’. The best way to convey messages is one person talking to another and if you can involve the public in on-going projects, they are ‘hooked’.

Fisherman making traditional lobster pots at Weymouth Fish Festival

The edge Autumn 2006

11