47
� Be careful not to spill oil and fuel
and check your bilges before
pumping out. One litre of oil or fuel
can contaminate one million litres of
water!
� Raw sewage from boats can be a
powerful pollutant. Use shore-side
toilet facilities wherever possible and
particularly if you are anchored in
water with restricted tidal flow or
near shellfish beds.
� Use only environmentally friendly
cleaners below and on deck.
� Dispose of your rubbish properly,
recycling as much as possible. Make
sure no loose waste gets blown
overboard.
� Minimise your use of fossil fuels,
sail where possible and go with the
tide. Use the free gym and row your
tender, rather than use the outboard!
� Avoid excess noise and wash and
take time to enjoy the tranquillity of
this beautiful coastline.
Visit www.thegreenblue.org.uk
01646 636642 www.surfdale.co.uk
Tuition and Hire at Dale
The Premier location for Watersports in the UK
Surf Tuition at Newgale
(adjacent to the NEWSURF Shop)
Pembrokeshire
Marine Code
Be considerate
Keep your distance from marine
wildlife and do not touch, feed or
swim with it. Avoid hauling out,
landing or mooring close to young
seals as this will distress parent
seals and prevent them feeding.
Keep your distance
and an even speed
Stay at least 100 metres away
from marine wildlife and nesting
/breeding sites and remain no
longer than 15 minutes. Avoid
erratic movements and changes in
speed.
Think about where
you are going
Try to steer clear of cliffs, gullies
and enclosed bays; many species
use these areas to breed.
React to what
is around you
Allow marine wildlife to go where
it wants. If wildlife approaches
your watercraft you should remain
on a steady course and maintain a
safe, navigable speed.
The Marine Code project
was set up with the
help and expertise of
local wildlife boat trip
operators and
conservation
organisations including the
National Park Authority.
For more information and to
view maps showing nesting
and pupping sites visit www.
pembrokeshiremarinecode.org.
uk or contact Tom Luddington
on 07977 939325 or 01646
696134.
c/o Newsurf, Newgale, Haverfordwest SA62 6AS
The Big Blue Experience offers a range of courses and adventures for
all ages and abilities, individuals and groups regardless of the weather.
New and second-hand equipment available. Live web cam and blog.
Skomer:
50 years and
counting
Fifty years ago Skomer, largest of the Pembrokeshire islands,
was declared a National Nature Reserve. Since then, wardens,
other workers and volunteers have each summer counted the
nesting seabirds at what is one of the most important colonies
in north-west Europe. Former Skomer Warden David Saunders
looks at the state of the Skomer seabird as the 21st century
unfolds.
Although not censused annually
the Manx shearwater (pictured)
cannot be missed from this short
resume, for Skomer - with perhaps
125,000 pairs - holds the largest
colony in the world. A colony that
seems to be expanding in size as the
years pass - which is the good
fortune one would wish all the
seabirds as the island enters its
second half-century as a Nature
Reserve.
Let's start with the razorbill, emblem
of the National Park. Those nesting on
Skomer numbered almost 5,000 in
2008 - the highest on record -
perhaps twice as many as in the early
1960s. Their close companion on the
cliffs, the guillemot has seen an even
more dramatic change in fortunes,
about 17,000 now compared with
barely 5,000 in the 1960s. However,
both these birds have recently
experienced poor breeding success so
without improvement there could be
a decline in numbers.
In 2008 there were 565 pairs of
fulmars nesting on the cliffs, a slight
decrease from the previous year, while
that other, most noisy of cliff-nesters,
the kittiwake has a population of
almost 2,300 pairs, a total relatively
unchanged across the years.
Every visitor to Skomer wants to
see puffins at what is their largest
colony in southern Britain � remember
though that the birds leave the island
in early August. Counts in recent
years show about 10,000, compared
with 50,000 pairs estimated in 1946,
and judging by old photographs even
larger numbers a century ago.
All three large gulls have
experienced changing fortunes. In
2008 the 85 pairs of great black-
backed gulls had their lowest
breeding success on record, perhaps
the result of the low rabbit numbers
following an outbreak of
myxomatosis. The 10,419 pairs of
lesser black-backed gulls is about half
the numbers of the early 1990s while
the 412 pairs of herring gulls is about
a sixth of the numbers in the 1970s.
LOCKLEY LODGE
Martin's Haven, Marloes. Ff�n/Tel: 01646 636800
Come and enjoy the views of Skomer Island and its
wildlife, via our impressive remote camera system,
from the safety of our award-winning visitor centre.
Come in to collect a wealth of useful information
before your 15 minute journey to Skomer on the Dale Princess.
There are plenty of gift ideas in the shop to take home as a
reminder of your visit. Open daily from 9.30 Easter � September.
To enjoy watersports responsibly in the
National Park, follow these top tips from
The Green Blue Wales:
�NormanHughes
Did you know?
Some of the best sea cliff climbing in Britain can be found
in the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park.

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