What’s your inspiration? Well, here at The Deep we have found inspiration in what at first glance looks like a very strange and uninspiring piece of plastic!
There is, of course, much more to it than first meets the eye! It is in fact an electronic tagging device for a marine turtle. This ancient group of animals have witnessed the rise and fall of the dinosaurs, but, within the last century, most turtle species have become endangered because of man’s destructive activities.
This summer, the Marine Conservation Society (www.mcsuk.org) in collaboration with the BBC Natural History Unit and the Turtle Conservation Project (TCP) will be carrying out a project to tag marine turtles in Rekawa on the south coast of the island. The Deep, as well as being an award-winning aquarium, is also an environmental charity and we strive to help fund important projects such as this one. The Deep is fully committed to this project and believes it will make a worthwhile contribution to protecting these amazing animals. As a result, we have decided to fund one satellite tag ourselves.
In addition to this we also want to raise money to help MCS’s vital conservation work through a series of exciting fundraising events (please go to www.thedeep.co.uk/ for more details). We hope to raise enough for at least another satellite tag, which costs £3,500 to buy and safely attach to the turtle.
This will be the first time satellite tags have been attached to turtles in , and the project will reveal the migration routes of female green turtles after they have nested at Rekawa. This information will be vital in furthering our understanding of the true range of this endangered species and will identify the other countries in the region that must be engaged in the conservation of these spectacular animals. The project is part of the TCP's pioneering efforts to restore marine turtles and their conservation in that were so badly affected by the tsunami. The satellite tags will transmit data to orbiting satellites, that will then relay the data to a tracking website. The website, www.seaturtle.org/tracking can be accessed by anyone around the world and will display real-time maps of the turtles' journeys that will be updated on a daily basis. The BBC will film the tag attachment as part of a BBC 1 documentary about the Turtle Conservation Project to be broadcast next year.
Our fundraising activities start on World Oceans Day June 8th in Princess Quay Shopping Centre where a dedicated team of The Deep staff and supporters will be trying to clock up 1,000 km on exercise bikes. This epic relay attempt will be a great start to MCS Coastal Challenge (email fundraising@mcsuk.org for more information), which will combine the efforts of hundreds of people to achieve a total distance of 18,470 km (11,477 miles) - the length of the UK's beautiful and varied coastline – whilst helping MCS continue their vital projects that promote solutions to the many threats that face our seas. Constant pressure from over-fishing, habitat destruction and climate change means that the very fabric of life in our seas, from the smallest plankton to the greatest whales, is being eroded at an unprecedented rate.
Sadly, the marine turtle provides a compelling case study of the effect of the main threats to our marine environment. They are illegally hunted for their eggs, meat and shells. Nesting beaches are threatened by uncontrolled development and marine litter and pollution claim the lives of many turtles. Thousands of turtles drown needlessly after getting entangled in fishing gear.
The good news is that projects such as the Turtle Conservation Project are making a real difference, and you can help this project and others like it by sponsoring the staff at The Deep and supporting their fundraising events. We are passionately committed to building a more harmonious relationship between human and marine life –creating a clean, safe and thriving environment for all.
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