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On the day Margaret Pinder, Labour’s Parliamentary Candidate for Beverley and Holderness, begins her exploration of the constituency’s North Sea coast to look at the effects of erosion on the natural environment and the people who live there, she has also issued a call for local residents to write in support of a proposal to designate the area a Marine Conservation Zone.
One of the proposed conservation zones is Holderness Inshore which runs from Skipsea to Spurn Point. The seafloor here boasts a wealth of diversity, including habitats of cobbles, mixed sediment, sand and chalk, alongside patches of peat and clay. This mosaic supports a dense coverage of hydroid and bryozoan turf, sponges and ross worm reef as well as many fish, including tope and smoothhound.
Over 8 different types of crabs have been seen at Holderness Inshore as well as the purple bloody henry starfish and common sunstars. Harbour porpoises and minke whales are often spotted from the shore passing through this area. The coast here is also important for foraging seabirds as well as migrants. Within the southern region is ‘The Binks’, a geological feature forming the seaward extension of Spurn Point.
“I grew up in the East Riding and spent a lot of my childhood exploring this coastline so it is very close to my heart. There are only two more days left to write in to the government in support of this initiative and I urge as many people in the constituency as possible to try and have Holderness Inshore recognised as an important natural resource worthy of special protection.
“I shall be exploring the northern stretch of the constituency from Skirlington turned to Grimston taking in the erosion at Mappleton and Aldeburgh. Tomorrow I shall be visiting Easington and Spurn Point which suffered so badly in last year’s tidal surge.
“This is a remarkable part of the country and one very much under threat. We must do everything possible to preserve what is a special habitat for ours and future generations.”
More information about the consultation and the proposed Marine Conservation Zones can be found on the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust website at www.ywt.org.uk.
