The Solent is a known hotspot for maritime recreational activities including boating, anchoring, angling, swimming, jet skiing, paddle boarding and more. These activities can be damaging to the seagrass and halt its recover; therefore, it is vital to obtain an understanding of boating and recreational activity to support the ongoing management of seagrass habitats.
The LIFE Recreation ReMEDIES (Reducing and Mitigation Erosion and Disturbance Impacts affEcting the Seabed) project is surveying the ongoing recreational activity at five sites within the Solent Maritime Special Area of Conservation (SAC): Yarmouth West, Bouldnor, Osborne Bay, Kings Quay and Langstone Harbour.
This was started in 2021 and is being continued throughout the project. For 2023, surveys were undertaken from 29th July to 30th September with the aim for each site to be surveyed once midweek and once on the weekend each week.
Overall, the 2023 conclusions strongly reflect those of both the 2022 and 2021 surveys. Some variation between these years may be linked to the removal of Covid-19 restrictions and a return to more normal activity patterns. Anchoring and mooring was observed at all sites, however Osborne Bay again showed higher levels of anchoring pressure. Outside of boating pressure, beach recreation, dog walking and swimming were the most frequently observed recreational activities.