The Crawfish Comeback

Waters around the Lizard appear to be playing an important role in the recovery of an iconic crustacean from a population crash that threatened it with near-extinction in the 70’s and 80’s.

Crawfish under a rock crevice. Credit: Natural England

Crawfish are a warm water species that are at the northern limit of their distribution in British waters. Although they may appear to resemble the more familiar Lobster, in fact the two are not that closely related. Unlike lobster, crawfish are golden-orange in colour and are covered in spines. They lack the familiar large claws of the lobster, instead being equipped with spikey front legs and long antennae. These beautiful crustaceans were once far more common around our shores, having been brought almost to extinction in the UK due to extensive overfishing by potting, scuba diving and netting in the 1970’s and ‘80s. Crawfish are identified as in need of protection, and are a Species of Principal Importance under the Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act 2006.
Crawfish are long-lived, mobile animals, that can grow up to 60cm in length and are known to migrate large distances over the seabed. They are typically found occupying rock ledges and crevices at depths beyond 15m. They regularly live to at least 15 years of age, and some individuals have been known to live much longer.

Crawfish: Dr. Keith Hiscock

Crawfish mate in the summer, and females carry the fertilised eggs externally for between 6-10 months. Females carrying eggs (known as ‘berried hens’) can be found in Cornish waters, but more commonly they will move to deeper waters offshore to overwinter while the embryos mature. Larvae are also carried into Cornish waters by warm ocean currents, so populations here may depend in part on the health of stocks in the Bay of Biscay and the coast of Spain.

Human & physical geography of Cornwall

This week I had the great pleasure of introducing new first year students from the University of Exeter's Centre for Geography, Environment and Society to the human and physical geography of Cornwall during a fieldtrip to West Penwith. We spent two days looking at the cultural, historical geography of that area, along with geomorphology, ecology, landuse and heritage. As I sat atop Carn Galver with them, bellowing into the wind, I pointed south east towards the Lizard to illustrate an important current concept for landscape managers: ecosystem services. I know the Lizard far better than West Penwith, so it was an obvious choice to help me describe what can sometimes be a difficult idea for students to get their heads around. The ecosystem services approach identifies four types of services provided by nature: provisioning services, supporting services, regulating services and cultural services. These cover everything from nutrient cycling, pollination and water purification to more esoteric services such as spiritual renewal and inspiration. On the Lizard, all these services are present simultaneously, and part of the challenge for landscape managers and others is to figure out how to identify them, measure them, and ultimately attribute a value to them. For example, the wonderful views provided by the coast path from Lizard to Kynance (one of my favourite walks) generates significant revenue from tourism and visitors. That is relatively easy to identify and measure. But what about the value of that wonderful fresh air, which is produced by a global atmospheric system? That is a service produced at a much larger scale, and is in some respects harder to measure and harder to value.

Relocating the coast path between Porthleven & Penrose

As a ranger for the National Trust with the privilege of looking after Penrose I always enjoy hearing the stories of how at one time you were able to drive from Porthleven, along the coast, dropping down across Loe Bar then up towards Chyvarloe. That must have been an amazing yet slightly scary drive in a Morris Marina. Ever since a section of that ByWay fell into the sea in the 70’s that route remained hugely popular for walkers, cyclists and horse riders for decades.
It was with much sadness that on a rainy January morning we heard the news that a large section had fallen away into the sea. The route which had served as a favoured walk for visitors and locals alike had finally become part of the ever changing coastline at Penrose. The challenge now was to take this problem and from it create a new opportunity.
There was a great response from the many thousands of people that once walked those cliffs with offers of help and support. It was clear that whatever work we did going forward we would need to make sure it catered for all those who enjoyed the stunning clifftop path, be it walkers, cyclists or horse riders. This was the start of many conversations and trips out to the coast with a range of groups and societies, we were lucky enough to get help and support from the British Horse Society, the South West Coast Path Association and some fantastic feedback from a public meeting in Porthleven town hall.
After absorbing all these great ideas and looking at the practicalities of building a brand new route through steep cliff fields, it was decided that we would not only create over half a kilometre of new surfaced footpath but also another brand new bridleway link again over half a kilometre in distance.
To make sure the work was done in a way that worked for the landscape of Penrose we undertook a series of surveys to make sure that we were taking into account the Archaeology, the ecology and the historical significance of that stretch of coastline. As part of this process all of this information was submitted to the local council for planning approval. We took this time to fundraise for the new route and had an amazing response to our online donation page, raising over a £1000 within 7 days.

Small sites can play a big part in protecting our wildlife

Earlier this year the Trust completed the purchase of a small parcel of land near Mullion; just over 12 acres of flower-rich permanent pasture.
Funding was made available through the Lee Bequest, a generous donation made by Mrs Elizabeth Lee to acquire land to be managed for nature on the Lizard. This same funding has helped with the purchase of other land across the Lizard now being managed for wildlife and conservation.

The land, near to Vroe Farm just south of Mullion, comprises of four small damp enclosures bordered by thick bushy hedges. They are rich in wildlife with many wild flowers including orchids, knapweed, yellow bartsia, fleabane and ragged robin. The fields are also home to many invertebrates and consequently farmland birds, such as meadow pipit, linnet, swallow, blackbird, goldfinch and whitethroat.
Through the Linking the Lizard partnership and local farmers, land across the Lizard Peninsula is being managed in a landscape scale approach. Following the Lawton principles, we are aiming to provide areas which are BIGGER, BETTER and, importantly, MORE JOINED UP for wildlife. Sandwiched between the existing National Trust owned land at Teneriffe farm, Predannack Airfield and parts of the Lizard National Nature Reserve managed by Natural England and Cornwall Wildlife Trust, this parcel of land may be very small, but it plays a crucial role in this long term vision, providing a wildlife corridor between important habitats.

‘Up-cycling’ Marine Waste

Volunteers on The Lizard (and elsewhere in Cornwall) have been playing their part in an innovative recycling programme established by Keep Britain Tidy and Fathom’s Free which is helping transform marine plastics into swim wear, kayaks and more.

Volunteer Ranger Matt unloading abandoned fishing net found on Poldhu beach

National Trust Images: Catherine Lee

While we can all do our bit at home and in business to reduce single-use plastics there’s still a mind boggling amount of plastic in our oceans, much of which eventually washes up on the coast. Volunteers across Cornwall work tirelessly to collect beach rubbish to help protect wildlife and keep their special places healthier and looking beautiful. Unfortunately, most of the waste collected on beaches is presently sent to landfill which is something we are working to change.
Earlier this year, Friends of Poldhu (a National Trust beach cleaning group) collected over four cubic metres of abandoned fishing net and hard plastics from Poldhu beach. With the help of the recycling programme this waste will be recycled or ‘up-cycled’ into useful plastic products. For example: the hard plastics are being repurposed into ocean recycled kayaks.
A circular economy for marine plastics is a trend that will lead the way for cleaner oceans worldwide. We are proud to be working with Rob (founder of ‘Fathoms Free’ and director of ‘Odyssey Innovation Ltd.) whose efforts have recently been recognised by the Prime Minister through a ‘Points of Light’ award.
If you want to help us collect beach rubbish join the Friends of Poldhu beach cleaning group on the first Friday of every month 10am - 11am Oct - Mar and 7pm-8pm Apr – Sept.
The Marine Conversation Society runs the Great British Beach Clean in September, check out their website for information on how you can get involved at a beach near you: https://www.mcsuk.org/beachwatch/greatbritishbeachclean
Published: Aug 2018
Author: Catherine Lee, Community and Volunteering Officer, Lizard National Trust

Lowland Point (Coverack)

Mention The Lizard, and you may think of the wild west coast, with its serpentine cliffs and iconic coves, or the open expanse of heathland at Goonhilly. Delve a little deeper though and there are many less well known treasures waiting to be explored.

One such place is Lowland Point, forming the northern edge of the bay in which the east coast fishing village of Coverack sits.

Springtime thrift and sea campion, and the view back to Coverack - Rod Allday - geograph.org.uk

Whichever way you choose to approach, it’s no short walk in. Consequently Lowland is a tranquil spot, especially since adjacent Dean Quarry has been silent for almost two decades, having previously produced road and other stone, much of which was shipped out from the quarry’s now abandoned jetty.

Both Dean and Lowland are underlain by gabbro, part of the Lizard suite of rocks, but lesser known than its more unusual neighbour serpentine. Lowland is aptly named, as viewed from afar it is indeed low land. Geomorphologically speaking, this flat coastal platform, just a few metres above sea level, is a raised beach, formed during the last ice age when sea levels fell. The ‘cliffs’ are now ¼ mile inland, and clothed in heath and elm woodland. The raised beach supports an interesting mix of wet willow woodland, and flowery pastures, with at least one seasonal pond adjacent to the coastpath.

Lowland viewed from the relict cliffs above - Dereck Voller - geograph.org.uk