What's On Your Bottom?

Cornwall Wildlife Trust is trying to stop an invasion of alien marine life to our waters by discovering what's on the bottom of our boats.

The trust wants all boat owners who lift their vessels out of the water for the winter months to make contact.

It's working with the Marine Biological Association to discover just how many alien species are in our waters.

Lisa Rennocks, Co-ordinator of the Marine Science Project for Cornwall Wildlife Trust said: "We can gain a fascinating insight as to what is living in our seas by studying boat hulls when they come out of the water. They can often help us to detect the arrival of non-native species, some of which may have a detrimental impact on the diversity of native marine life"

Submerged structures are quickly colonised by a wide variety of plants and animals and even the most regularly anti-fouled boats can build up a layer of species.

 Lisa is compiling an inventory of plants and animals from photographs as they are assessed for their marine life.

 If you would like to help, please email clear photos of your boat hull and mooring location to lisa.rennocks@cornwallwildlifetrust.org.uk, or contact her on 01872 273939 ex 242 with details of your haul-out.

 For more information on the Marine Science Project visit www.erccis.org.uk/panelproject and to learn more about the work of Cornwall Wildlife Trust and find out how to become a member to support our work please visit www.cornwallwildlifetrust.org.uk.