After all the storms that we’ve been having, last week I headed out to Marwick Head to check the footpath. Currently the fields are flooded at the back of the storm beach and the footpath is under water in places. There are culverts that drain the fields to the sea so I went down on to the beach to check they weren’t blocked and I had a look at some of the debris that had been washed up.
The first interesting item was a common skate egg case (or mermaids purse), which are found regularly on beaches around Orkney. Common skate are classed as Critically Endangered globally, so organisations like The Sharks Trust are keen to know where you find egg cases as it can highlight where there are breeding areas.
The other thing that caught my eye was this cereal pot (other breakfast cereals are available....)
Just a ‘Frosties’ pot?
Manufactured in Battle Creek, Michigan, USA. This little plastic tub has likely floated across the Atlantic Ocean.
Another interesting find (admittedly it was from the October storms), was this sign.
I haven’t yet definitely been able to find out it’s origins but I suspect its a supporter sign from some sort of US sport team, the closest I’ve found is The University of Vermont Catamounts (if you have any ideas I’d love to hear them). Which would mean it is also an Atlantic traveller.
The volume of plastic washed up on the beach during the storms and throughout the rest of the year highlights the impact plastic has on the marine environment and especially our seabirds.
It has been estimated that over 200,000 tonnes of marine litter is dumped annually into the North Sea alone. Studies in the Netherlands have shown that in the Southern North Sea, 98 per cent of fulmars have plastics in their stomachs.
If you’d like to find out more about the RSPBs Save Our Sealife campaign and what you can do visit http://www.rspb.org.uk/supporting/campaigns/sealife/index.aspx