Manx Wildlife Trust Touch Tanks return for 2011

The Manx Wildlife Trust Touch Tanks were one of the main Marine Day attractions from the 2010 Queenie Festival. We are happy to announce that they will be back in 2011, featuring the many of the small creatures which exist in the shores around us. This attraction was especially well received by young children, and has helped develop awareness of marine life. The Manx Wildlife Trust will also be broadcasting films focusing on many different aqua themes. The Marine Days take place on Port St Mary harbour on Saturday 2nd July and Sunday 3rd July.

The Manx Wildlife Trust will also be providing rockpooling sessions during the Sure Mobile Beach party on Friday 1st July. Rockpooling is another interesting way to examine and discover marine life. Creatures like sea stars, sea urchins, sea slugs and sea cucumbers are amongst the species that can be discovered during this magnified look at marine life. The sessions will be run by Eleanor Stone, Marine Officer of the Manx Wildlife Trust.

Manx Wildlife Trust website:

Basking Shark Conference for Isle of Man

A Conference: Basking Sharks: A Global Perspective: The Manx Government, Manx Basking Shark Watch and the Save our Seas Foundation are hosting a conference, “BASKING SHARKS: A GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE” on the Isle of Man August 3rd-6th 2009. Experts in basking shark tagging, genetics and conservation will come from around the world to discuss ways to study, conserve and manage this wonderful animal. It will be followed by the UK Wildlife Trusts’ Basking Shark Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP) meeting at the same venue.

For more information visit

Cool Seas Roadshow hits the Isle of Man schools

It’s great to see the fantastic work the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry and the Department of Education are doing to promote the marine wildlife and marine conservation in the local primary schools this week, a similar aim of the organisers of Marine Day.

A full report is featured on IOM Newspapers.

BBC Springwatch Sea Life programme

The BBC’s Springwatch series on Tuesday night covered Sea Life and included a good eight minute feature on the Isle of Man.

Due to the vagaries of landings over the years Manx Fishermen have worked on technical conservation regulations in order to ensure that stocks have remained robust. These have included restrictions on fishing times, closed seasons and limitations on the amount of dredges permitted. The Island also has two areas in Manx waters, one that has been in place since 1989 and the other created in 2008, that are closed to mobile fishing. These are supported by the fishing industry and indeed the impetus for the Douglas closed area was started by the fishermen. Data analysis seems to support the viability of these areas’.

You can re-watch the programme here: BBC Springwatch Sea Life programme.