ASTERN
Celebrating life on the water
ASTERN
Celebrating life on the water
20,000
The number of oysters cleaned by 260 volunteers during one week earlier this year, in the UK’s largest subtidal oyster reef restoration at Chichester Harbour. Native oyster populations in the Solent have fallen by about 96% over the past century, but oysters remain one of the marine environment’s most important ‘ecosystem engineers’.
Colossal coral
The largest known single coral is in the Three Sisters island group, near the Solomon Islands. Measuring 34m wide and 5.5m high, it’s made up of nearly one billion polyps.
20,000
The number of oysters cleaned by 260 volunteers during one week earlier this year, in the UK’s largest subtidal oyster reef restoration at Chichester Harbour. Native oyster populations in the Solent have fallen by about 96% over the past century, but oysters remain one of the marine environment’s most important ‘ecosystem engineers’.
Colossal coral
The largest known single coral is in the Three Sisters island group, near the Solomon Islands. Measuring 34m wide and 5.5m high, it’s made up of nearly one billion polyps.
Blooming marvellous visitors
Unseasonally hot temperatures during recent months brought high numbers of moon jellyfish to many UK shores. These visitors are the most common jellyfish species in the UK and are 95% water, with no heart, blood or brain. They don’t stay in groups by choice, but drift in ‘blooms’, trapping plankton with a layer of sticky mucus on their bodies and ‘eating’ using short tentacles. With a weak sting that doesn’t usually penetrate skin, they are generally harmless to humans and typically only live for six months.
Global milestone
Nations have achieved ‘an important global milestone’ for people and planet, with more than 10% of the ocean now officially protected. The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) revealed in April that 5 million sq km of ocean – an area larger than the European Union – was classed as protected in the last two years alone. The figure is up from 8.6% in 2024.
Global milestone
Nations have achieved ‘an important global milestone’ for people and planet, with more than 10% of the ocean now officially protected. The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) revealed in April that 5 million sq km of ocean – an area larger than the European Union – was classed as protected in the last two years alone. The figure is up from 8.6% in 2024.
TONGUE TWISTER
A blue whale’s tongue typically weighs between 2.7 and 4 metric tonnes (approx. 5,950 to 8,800lbs). This massive muscular organ weighs as much as an entire adult African elephant.
TONGUE TWISTER
A blue whale’s tongue typically weighs between 2.7 and 4 metric tonnes (approx. 5,950 to 8,800lbs). This massive muscular organ weighs as much as an entire adult African elephant.
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