Child having fun in the mud © Kirsten Carter
Marine mudness
You may think that deep muddy plains would be like an empty desert but these habitats have the potential to be as diverse as the Amazon rainforest
The campaign
We've been campaigning for the better protection of muddy habitats in the Irish Sea. We aimed to raise the profile of our misunderstood and marvellously muddy Irish Sea and encourage people to support the protection of wildlife at sea.
Mud is rich in nutrients and supports a vast array of creatures from masked crabs to delicate sea pens, strange spoon worms and the world’s longest-lived animal, a clam called the ocean quahog. On or above the mud are plaice, sole, cod, haddock and whiting. In turn these nutrient-rich seas support seabirds, whales, dolphins and sharks. This is the circle of life in full spin.
Angus Robinson
Paul Naylor
Spoon worm burrowing in mud ©Jolyon Chesworth HIoWWT
Juvenile cod © Paul Naylor
Amy Lewis
Bottlenose dolphins breaching © Eleanor Stone
We urgently need more protection for muddy habitats
Nationally, The Wildlife Trusts are trying to secure a network of protected areas at sea to help our coastal and marine wildlife to recover and thrive.
Since 2013, twelve Marine Conservation Zones (MCZs) have been designated in the Irish Sea. Two of these protect shallow coastal mud habitats and their associated species, these sites are West of Walney and Fylde.
In 2018, we campaigned for deep water mud habitats to also be protected. Sites were put forward to the Government as recommended MCZs. Thanks to your support in our campaign South Rigg and Queenie Corner became designated in 2019.
The work does not stop here. We want more sites and better management to secure an ecologically coherent network of MPAs. The deep water mud sites Slieve na Griddle and Mud Hole were taken out of the process and were not designated. These sites would protect important deep muddy habitats in the Irish Sea. The network of protected areas will only be completed if these sites are also designated.
Read our report: The case for more MCZs
We want to tell everyone about how rich and important deep muddy habitats are. We organise mud-themed events across the coast of the North West and try and spread the love for mud through our campaigns.
Join us in spreading the word by going mad and getting muddy, send us pictures of you and your friends or family getting muddy this summer for #MarineMudness:
