Some of you may think that I go on a bit about water quality. But the harbour is such a special place, and one of only a few with sandy bathing beaches, so it is important to safeguard it.
It is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in a Marine Nature Reserve and an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. But marine SSSIs are uncommon: there are plenty of SSSIs where the intertidal range – the shore between the high and low water marks – is protected, but in Salcombe the fundus forms part of the SSSI, mainly because of its marine biological interest.
The specialness of the harbour stems from the fact that it is not an estuary, formed by a river flushing through it, but a sea inlet, or ria. This means that the water is gin clear; and the harbour has rare plants and rare habitats, like eel grass; and rare creatures, like sea horses and fan mussels.
This makes it all the more vital not to foul it up. We have a problem with sewer outflows. For instance, the nitrates flowing from Gerston give rise to the green sludge which you see at low tide. This blocks out light and clogs up everything, including engine inlets.
The threat you can’t see so easily comes from phosphates. Although these give rise to occasional poisonous “red tides” of algal blooms, phosphates more usually threaten sea life whilst remaining entirely invisible.
The frightening thing is that all can seem well, then suddenly go wrong. Peter Marsh, who runs the oyster beds in Frogmore creek, paid a visit to the Helford River 18 months or so ago. He was astonished at what he saw. The river was completely dead: no oysters, no fish and not even any worms. There had been a sudden catastrophe as the result of phosphate and nitrate pollution. Everything had been killed – and is only now, very slowly, returning. Of course there was no publicity about this: it’s bad for tourists to know that there are White Sharks about.
This is precisely why we have the campaign to reduce phosphates and nitrates in the harbour here. We must not have a catastrophe, and the numbers of red tides over the years should act as a warning to us. The first step is to make sure that our dishwasher powders or tablets are phosphate free. Surely that can’t be too much to ask?
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