The Real treasure of the Sea
The sea has forests that keep our world healthy, but we don’t think about them in the same way that we worry and fret about the deforestation of the Amazon, but seagrass meadows are very important to our ecology rather nearer to home. In Orkney teams are harvesting seagrass seeds to implant them across the nation’s coastal sea beds and improve the planet’s ability to absorb carbon and provide a home for many forms of aquatic life, from fish to mini beasts. Seagrass has thick glossy leaves that help to stabilise the sea bottom and keep the water clean. The 20th century saw the almost total depredation of theses grass beds and we lost 92% of them, so regeneration cannot come a moment too soon.
And in the Firth of Forth is soon to benefit from the right kind of transplantation with seeds garnered from the waters of Orkney. Scientists have proved that the regeneration will be a success and more seeds will be gathered all without damaging the existing seagrass forests, which are more than capable of donating seeds for the plant life starved waters of the Firth of Forth, and then after that other coastal waters. Indeed they only collect seed from dense seagrass beds which can stand the harvesting.
The seagrass meadows in Orkney are home to shore crabs, starfish, sea anemones, pollock and plaice and it is hoped that this diversity will soon spread to the Firth of Forth, bring health to the waters and act as a sink for air born carbon. Test beds have proven fruitful already with baby fish being attracted to the seagrass meadows which offer them some protection from predators and somewhere to forage for food.
Now if you are angling for great value then may I recommend the fertile meadows of our pages where a trawl won’t reveal starfish, sardines or mackerel, but it you might just catch a bargain, or a fabulous special offer that will make a splash. So cast your eye over the Edinburgh Crystal Champagne Flutes by Royal Scot Crystal offered in a stylish presentation box. They are classics of their kind and at the moment they are part of our great autumn offering and currently languishing at half price. Has someone forgotten to change the price? Quick take advantage now!
