Past events

• 19th January 2008 - Mud, mud, glorious mud!

The hidden world of our Helford creeks was revealed to a large gathering by the well-known marine broadcaster and retired lecturer of the University of Exeter, Dr Tegwyn Harris.

We were reminded that bacteria, slimy green weed, worms and numerous shrimp-like creatures are the basis of the whole chain of life within the Helford River environment but are so easily forgotten as we wade through the slippery mud.

Birds and fish are more familiar as they are easily seen, but Tegwyn pictured the smaller organisms in a fast moving presentation accompanied by his particular brand of amusing stories.

• 1st December 2007 - Form and function of underwater life

Dr Thomas Bligh, who lives beside the Helford River, has enjoyed an illustrious career in precision engineering and craftmanship, explosives research, energy conversion, robotic systems, underwater diving equipment, catamaran design and more recently until his retirement, Fellow and tutor at Caius College, Cambridge.

During a lifetime of sailing, with a passion for specialised underwater photography around the world and with the help of his wife, Nigel, he has amassed a stunning collection of exquisite pictures of multi-coloured fish, coral reefs and colourful nudibranchs or sea slugs of these warmer seas.  

An appreciative audience was fascinated by his pictures and his understanding of these species and habitats.

• 3rd November 2007 - Fascinating Fish - the story of Bass and other special species

National sea bass expert Graham Pickett described the life-cycle of this fish so familiar to our shores and also commercially important, these days attracting higher prices than salmon. Spawning took place offshore in the English Channel and the Celtic Sea in the Spring, when water temperatures were between 9º - 15º C.   During their first 2-3 months, the larvae, now about 2.5cm in length, moved inshore to the main nursery areas in rivers with rich feeding potential, such as the Helford, Fal, Tamar, Camel, Taw and Torridge where they needed to reach a reasonable size (7cm) to survive the colder winter months. They grow well in the warm waters of the south and west and remain there for some 4-5 years before moving back to the open sea.
Breeding appeared to be more closely linked to size than age with maturity occurring at 38-42cm length in females and 32-42cm in males. A 36cm fish might be from 3 to 6years old. This highlighted the importance of controlling the catch in open water to ensure that the breeding stock was maintained. The larger the female size the better the ova produced and the more successful breeding occurs.
Tagging studies had revealed that after the juveniles return to the open sea they can wander for a while but after maturity they appear to settle into a very regular pattern. For instance one was caught at exactly the same place on exactly the same tide on exactly the same date for two years running.
Shore angling was a very popular sport and John Leballeur of the Bass Anglers Sportfishing Society described the activities of this organisation and his regular participation in the collection of information about one of our most important British fish.

• 27th October 2007 - Otter Conservation: meddling, monitoring and muddling through

  Dr Paul Chanin, international otter expert, talked about the milestones of the last 30 years of otter studies. Much of the early recording of British otters was found in reports kept by the otter hunting fraternity noting their successes which were fairly constant until they lapsed during the Second World War. Hunting was resumed in the late 1940s but the success rate dropped dramatically from about 1960 onwards and the otter hounds became largely redundant as the numbers of otters dropped. Reasons for the sudden decline have been attributed to pesticide contamination of prey, insensitive maintenance of waterways, human disturbance, etc. From the 1970s, observations revealed a sparse population mainly identified by the presence of droppings or spraint within otter territories. Gradually the use of many harmful pesticides was identified and curtailed, waterways and their banks were managed to accommodate otters and other wildlife with the result that the residual otter populations in the South West, Wales and East Anglia recovered. Now these animals were spreading much further afield wherever habitats were suitable and inevitably the larger numbers were reflected as an increase in road casualties which was unfortunately when the general public were most likely to see these beautiful creatures. All over the country volunteers were observing and recording the otter populations adding significantly to our understanding of this most elusive but attractive animal.

   

• 30 August 2007 - Rockpool Ramble

Out at sea, yachts were heeIing in a brisk wind. Onshore, all eyes were directed downwards as Ruth Williams explained the mysteries and delights of the Rosemullion rockpools to 9 persons (and a dog). It must he admitted, since it was our dog, that the latter was more interested in splashing than learning: and his curiosity to discover why we were staring quietly and intently into the water was of no help in persuading timid creatures to emerge from their hiding places. That apart, it was an absorbing afternoon for all concerned, from grandparents to grandchildren, under ideal weather conditions, breezy but dry and warm. In the pools. snail-like creatures rocked gently to and fro as the grazed on the rock surface. Occasionally one would rise and scuttle off at speed - a hermit crab inside the shell! Ruth told us the difference between winkles and top shells: and between shrimps and prawns: and about the foraging habits of Iimpets which always return to the same place on the rock surface where they have created a depression matching the shell so that the can cling tightly and avoid dehydration when the tide is out. Mike, one of the party, had brought a magnifying jar which allowed us to see things in great detail. Particularly fascinating was the small cushion star which. when placed upside-down arched itself, extended minute tube feet to secure a grip and then rolled itself over. With Ruth’s expertise of knowing where to look and how to catch things were soon examining a sea urchin, and a pipe fish and a Cornish sucker fish, not forgetting the delightful little broad-clawed porcelain crab. The list didn’t stop there, because there was an array of seaweeds, from delicate fronds to robust fleshy types, in a great range of colours green – orange, red, brown and white. We even had a tasting session, sampling the bright green crinkly sea lettuce. One can spend hours just looking and marvelling at the variety of Iife in a rock pool and, had the tide not come in, we might still be there. Sincere thanks are due to Ruth for giving so freely of her time, enthusiasm and clear expert explanations.
David Nightingale
Chairman Members Section

 

• 28 July 2007 - Port Navas Regatta

Sat. 28 July 2007 was the day of the Port Navas Regatta Family Fundraising Day, where the Helford MC Members Group for the first time decided to have a stall to further the public awareness of the HVMCA. The gazebo was erected in the morning with our new sign and the table was prepared with HVMCA Events programmes, the new information leaflets, Fal & Helford Harbour Guide books, DEFRA Fishing Regulations and Eelgrass postcards ready for the 4 o’clock start which came on time but so did the rain!Our team of volunteers manfully stayed until the prize-giving at the end of the afternoon having spent 3 hours watching the rain dowse everything and everyone whilst cheerfully greeting the bedraggled public who understandably had a limited interest in enquiring about the HVMCA. Not the most successful foray into the public domain – but we were there! David Nightingale - Chairman Members Group

• 8 July Annual 2007 - Conservation Cruise

  After weeks of heavy rain countrywide we hardly dared to hope for our “traditional” sunny day for the cruise but we were not disappointed as the sun shone brightly until obscured by cloud at the very end of the afternoon! The water sparkled against the soft green of the Helford woodlands. In Polwheveral Creek our enthusiastic passengers saw 15+ snowy white Little egrets around their nesting site in the trees by the heronry and overhead buzzards were mewing. Upstream two pairs of shelduck and their families paddled vigorously as we passed whilst curlew, redshank, greenshank and some smaller waders probed the mud for food.
  Helford MC Group members spoke knowledgeably about the fish and fishing as well as the various boats as we cruised round to the picturesque Gillan inlet. Geological features, land use, marine research, eelgrass beds and the Helford oysters were not forgotten. The National Trust warden and volunteers were on hand with information about the woodlands and their management and displayed a wide range of rock pool and other marine flora and fauna in their marine tanks onboard.
  It was a perfect opportunity to encourage everyone to think carefully about the sensitivity of the marine environment and the need to protect it through energetic local and national efforts.

• 16 June  2007 - Strandline Search and Marine Mosaics 

By the middle of June we had expected a return of the earlier spring sunshine but it was not to be and some beefy showers proved off-putting for this Saturday event at Durgan. A handful of adult HMCG members joined Margaret on the shore but the younger generation were less robust and missed a very pleasant morning on the shore.

• 6 May  2007 - Wildflower Wanderings

Two weeks later Goongillings Farm was again the venue for an HVMCA event but this time it was for an afternoon look at the flowers and other vegetation.  A relaxed stroll for the 21 participants  with Keith Spurgin and other botanists highlighted the amazing variety of plants appearing on an organic farm under countryside stewardship management. Habitats included woodland with trickling stream, herb-rich meadows with a lake and the upper shore slopes of the saltwater creek. Once again the hospitality offered by Charles and Barbara was greatly appreciated.

 

 

 

• 22 April  2007 - Dawn Chorus Beside Polwheveral Creek

An early start did not deter an eager band of some 28 people armed with binoculars converging on Goongillings Farm where a delicate grey mist  swirled amongst the trees edging the creek. The expertise of Martin Rule, the group leader was much appreciated in recognising the songs of the unseen vocalists. Charles and Barbara Pugh rounded a very successful expedition with hot drinks and refreshments amid requests for an even earlier start next year!!

• 3 April  2007 - Seashore Safari

A warm Spring day attracted an enthusiastic group of 17 adults and 32 children to explore the magical seashore exposed as the tide fell at Helford Passage. Colourful sea anemones, scuttling crabs, wonderfully sculptured shells, delicate worms and skulking shore fish were all discovered to the delight of the young explorers under the guidance of marine biologist, Ruth Williams.

 

• 24 March  2007 - Regenerating the Helford Oyster Fishery

After many years under the management of the Hodges family, in 2005 the Duchy of Cornwall Oyster Farm had been acquired by Ben Wright and Wright Bros Oyster Merchants. Ben gave a lively description of his current operations to rejuvenate the native oyster beds by lifting and cleaning all the stock, initially by hand - a daunting task but to be continued with a recently acquired oyster barge. He and his colleague Mark Mercer aimed to identify the most favourable beds for the good growth of the native flat oyster. Pacific oysters, clams and mussels would form part of the whole commercial enterprise to ensure a supply of shellfish throughout the year. In due course he hoped to involve the oysterage more with community events and demonstrate progress.
This talk followed the Annual General Meeting and the presentation of prizes for the Drawing Competition 2006.

• 17 February Helford River 2007 - Where The Land Meets The Sea

A detailed look at this watery world and how we influence it gave a large audience (67) much food for thought as the issues of pollution, clean seas, farming and recreation were highlighted. This followed recent studies by scientists from the Environment Agency, University of Exeter, and the Farming and Wildlife Group as described by Dr Peter Jonas, Dr Julian Greaves and Annabel Keast.

• 20 January 2007 - Ramblings on the Helford River

Leslie Collins, vice-chairman of the Group, delighted a large audience (57) with his fascinating narrative on his favourite pictures as he shared a lifetime of local experience in Gweek. An active quay with timber carts, lime kilns and sailing barges, the post office and people from many local families sprang to life again. A special feature has been to record this invaluable record for posterity!