YouTube – Crabs And Ragworm Eroding Salt Marsh In East Anglia

Here is a YouTube video featuring

• Dr Rob Hughes  – salt marsh ecologist from  Queen Mary, University of London
• Richard Steward
• Robert Simper

showing how salt marsh is being eroded by crabs and/or ragworm.

Pictures in an earlier post clearly show the crab holes referred to in the video.  What isn’t mentioned is that the mudflats are being spontaneously recolonised with salt mash. Here is a report from Natural England which finds that between 1997 and 2008 there was a net gain of salt marsh in Hamford Water.

The fact that there was a net gain of salt marsh, at a time when sea levels have been rising, would seem to be a terminal problem for the suggestion that sea level rise is causing loss of salt marsh!

To quote  from Robert’s website

I and my research group have shown that loss of saltmarshes in SE England, and elsewhere in the UK, is not due to sea level rise and coastal squeeze but to herbivory and bioturbation by the mudflat invertebrate fauna, particularly polychaetes and amphipods. We are working on the ecology of these invertebrates, particularly the ragworm (Nereis diversicolor), a significant ecological engineer, and of fishes that use these habitat.  Saltmarshes are important as feeding areas for juvenile fish of several species, including bass which is commercially important, and internationally important wading bird populations.

 In light of that it is interesting to hear EA (Environment Agency) claiming

“we know that salt marsh loss is caused by sea level rise”

This appears to be a local phenomena as UK is apparently the only country in the world where sea level rise causes salt marsh loss.

And the evidence is what ?

It is also interesting to hear EA state their responsibility is to respond to man made activities!

Next is a clip of EA talking excitedly about a plan to flood 100 acres of  Hill House Farm by river Orwell near Shotley.  This represents about 1/5  of the farm which seems quite a large amount to lose, in a time of rising food shortages.

In the video you hear Karen Thomas from EA stating with absolute certainty

“salt marsh loss is caused by sea level rise”

The farmer will be compensated for not farming part of his farm.

It is important for people in UK to understand that such schemes are being promoted all around UK.  The total cost, compensation and engineering, has been estimated to be £2.6 billion.