Solent News - issue 4

Our main purpose of ensuring that members of the Solent Forum are given up to date and reliable information about all that is happening in the Solent, has been powerfully reinforced by this new form ofSolent News and our own web site.

Our editor and web master, Kate Sisman, has been tireless in establishing both. We must make good use of both print and site and so spread the SOLENT NEWS.

Solent Forum Launches Website

The Solent Forum has launched a website that can be found at ‘www.solentforum.hants.org.uk’. The purpose of this site is to publicise the work of the Forum and its members. The site is already linked to all Forum organisations who have their own websites and members who do not have their own site, are welcome to put information on to it for free.

To date the site contains the latest editions of Solent News, the Forum’s ‘Strategic Guidance for the Solent’, hotlinks to other useful sites, the Forum’s members directory and information on the Solent Water Quality Conference. The site will be developed over time to act as a data source and signposting service for information on the Solent.

Please contact the webmaster, Kate Sisman, for further details,Tel: 01962 846027

Can You Surf the Net?

At the last Solent Forum meeting we undertook market research on who within the Forum’s membership has access to and/or knows how to use the internet. Results from this exercise concluded:-

One of the main points that came out of the study is that although many Forum organisations have websites, a significant number of Forum members do not personally know how to ‘surf the web’. To help address this problem the Forum is running an internet help session after its next meeting, where members can have a go on the web with expert help at hand.
Tel: Kate Sisman 01962 846027

Solent Science Conference

The Solent Forum in association with the Southampton Oceanography Centre is running a conference on the 21 - 22 September 1998, that will review the use of scientific information in the Solent. The conference will take place at the Southampton Oceanography Centre, Southampton.

It will bring together researchers, planners and managers in order to consider the research and management needs of the Solent. The conference will include presentations from expert speakers, poster sessions, plenary discussions, case studies and interactive workshops. It is hoped that the outcome from the conference will include a research agenda for the Solent into the next Millennium.

For further information on the conference or to express an interest in attending please contact, Kate Sisman Tel: 01962 846027.

Sewage Pump-out Station Comes to Chichester Harbour

Chichester Harbour Conservancy have installed a sewage pump-out facility at the public jetty at Itchenor.

This facility is free at the point of use and has been grant aided by the Environment Agency, who contributed 50% of the total cost.

It is now up to boat users to make sure that they use the facility and improve the water quality of the harbour for everyone.

Maritime and Coastguard Agency Launched

The Maritime and Coastguard Agency was established on 1 April 1998 as an executive agency of the Department of the Environment Transport and Regions (DETR). The Agency was created by the merger of the Coastguard Agency and the Marine Safety Agency and is responsible for carrying out the functions of both organisations.

The primary aims of the Agency are to; develop, promote and enforce high standards of marine safety, to minimise loss of life among seafarers and coastal users, and to minimise pollution from ships of the sea and coastline.

Solent Water Quality Conference Announces 1998 Water Quality Awards

The Solent Water Quality Conference’s annual conference was held on 26 March 1998 at West Sussex County Council. A series of presentation was held on water quality issues in the Solent, followed by the presentation of the awards. The following beaches met the mandatory standard for the EC Bathing Water Directive and gained awards for 1998.

Hill Head
Havant Borough Council
Hayling Island Seafront
Portsmouth City Council
Eastney
Victoria Pier

Lee-on-Solent
Stokes Bay
Hardway
Stoke Lake
Haslar Marina
Camper & Nicholson Marina

Arc Manche

Following its first successful conference in Rouen in October 1997, the Environment and Coastal Working Group of Arc Manche has identified four priority areas of action.

Celebrating World Oceans Day ‘98

To celebrate the UN International Year of the Oceans, the Isle of Wight is holding a Local agenda 21 partnership event on the 7 June 1998. Events include; creature beach, beach walks, talks and films and displays from WWF, Greenpeace and Isle of Wight Council.

Environment Agency Launches Water Related Recreation Strategy

The Environment Agency recently published its consultation document, ‘A Water Related Recreation Strategy for the Southern Region’. The draft strategy aims to promote good practice in the planning and management of water related recreation, and covers all of the inland and coastal waters in the Southern region.

The agency has held three workshops in Hampshire, Kent and East Sussex. Over 60 recreation organisations were represented at the workshops (including the Solent Forum) and discussion groups looked at local priorities for action and identified potential projects and partners. The next steps for the Agency include the preparation of Action Plans to guide its future recreation work.

Indicators for the Solent

As part of the Forum’s Flagship Project 3 - ‘The state of the Solent’, the Forum is undertaking work to identify indicators for the Solent. It is hoped that such indicators will be used to identify both human and physical trends in the Solent. The results of the work will be published in a ‘State of the Solent’ report which the Forum will publish on a regular basis.

Tony Sharp, a placement student from Portsmouth University is carrying out some preliminary research on this topic, focussing on indicators for nature conservation.

Bird Success Continues at Langstone Harbour

Early signs are that record numbers of seabirds are returning to the RSPB’s Langstone Harbour Reserve to breed this year. Warden, John Bradley, reports that 2,890 black-headed gulls, several pairs of Mediterranean gulls and the first common and little terns are back already.

The RSPB believe that these figures and the success of the 1997 season, reflect the investment over the last 20 years to reduce casual disturbance on the islands in the Harbour.

The Solent Oyster Fishery: The Public Health Approach

The Solent and surrounding waters contain the largest wild native oyster (Ostrea edulis) fishery in Europe and is a valuable economic resource to the local economy. The majority of shellfish landed are exported to France and Spain but they also provide an important source of stock for further on-growing and fattening by English shellfish farmers.

Oysters feed by filtering seawater for micro-organisms. If the growing waters are polluted by sewage, the oysters inadvertently accumulate human pathogenic bacteria and viruses within their flesh, thus posing a significant health risk if eaten raw or lightly cooked.

In 1993, the implementation of the E.C. Shellfish Hygiene Directive* into U.K. law, replaced existing health controls and introduced a new proactive approach to safeguarding public health. In particular, was the requirement that only shellfish from areas that had been formally classified (i.e. designated production areas) could be harvested and sold for human consumption. This classification is achieved through the regular sampling of shellfish from selected sites, for bacteriological examination.

The Ministry of Agriculture Fisheries and Food (MAFF) has responsibility for the classification program in England and Wales, with local councils having responsibility for collecting the shellfish samples. They work closely with the Centre For Environment, Fisheries & Aquaculture Science (CEFAS) at Weymouth who co-ordinate the sampling program (CEFAS is an Executive Agency of MAFF). Currently, 23 sampling points in the Solent and a further 28 points in the adjoining rivers and harbours are sampled on a monthly basis by 5 local and port authorities.

The classification system is divided into 3 categories (see table) and is based on the concept that the more polluted the shellfish, the greater degree of treatment needed before they can be sold for human consumption. There is a cut-off point above which it is considered shellfish are too polluted for human consumption and harvesting is prohibited. The bacterium E. coli which is present in sewage, is used as an ‘indicator organism’ to determine the degree of pollution to which the shellfish have been exposed.

The classification is updated as necessary and an annual revision of designated production areas, together with maps of the classification zones is published in late summer by MAFF.

In the Solent, the area off Yarmouth is ‘Prohibited’, however, the rest of the Solent and surrounding waters divide almost equally into Classes ‘B’ and ‘C’. The extent of the Class ‘C’ area in the eastern Solent reflects the impact from the various long sea outfalls. There are no harvesting areas within the Solent that meet the Class ‘A’ requirements.

It is hoped that with the completion of other proposed sewage schemes by Southern Water within the next couple of years, more improvements to the Classification will be possible, bringing benefits to the fishing industry and to public health alike.

Tel: Alec Harmer - Secretary, Southern Shellfish Liaison Group 01703 285660. A map of the Solent showing the classified zones is available from Mr Harmer.

	E.coli/100g of Shellfish Flesh	Level of Treatment Required
Class A		May go for direct consumption, provided they meet all other requirements of End Product Standard in the Regulations
Class B	<4600 90% of samples must fall within this range and the remaining 10% must not exceed the levels in Class C	Must be depurated (purified), heat treated or relayed to meet Class A
Class C	(<46000)	Must be relayed for a long period (at least 2 months) to meet Class A or B. May also be heat treated by ‘approved method’.
	(>46000)	Prohibited

The Solent Forum

The Solent Forum was established in December 1992, in order to develop a greater understanding among the authorities and agencies involved in the planning and management in the Solent area. The Forum is chaired by Maldwin Drummond. This newsletter is the spring/summer 1998 edition, the copy deadline for submission of articles for the autumn/winter 1998 edition is the 27 November 1998. Please contact the Solent Project Officer, Kate Sisman, for any further information on the work of the Forum.

Associated British Ports, Hampshire County Council, Environment Agency, Portsmouth City Council, Southampton City Council, Solent Protection Society, RSPB, Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust, Isle of Wight Council, New Forest District Council, English Nature and QHM (Portsmouth).

Further Information:-
Kate Sisman, Solent Forum Officer, c/o Hampshire County Council Planning Department, The Castle, Winchester, Hants SO23 8UE
Tel: 01962 846027 Fax: 01962 846776 E-mail: planks@plan.hants.gov.uk

Solent News Issue 4 - May 1998

Contents

Chairman’s Editorial - Maldwin Drummond OBE, JP, DL, Dsc (Hon) writes...