Project Portunus - Discovering Our Local Harbour Marine Life

r wildlife, especially birds, juvenile fish and even seals. However, like many harbours, the future of these precious habitats is under severe threat from human activity and climate change. Despite a number of legal protections such as SSSI, National Landscape and RAMSAR, increased urbanisation, agriculture, pollution, and recreational water sports have all taken their toll, resulting in the significant loss of important natural habitats in the last 50 years. As a dive club based on the shores of Langstone Harbour, the Nautical Archaeology Sub-Aqua Club (NASAC) are delivering a Citizen Science project to support research aimed at restoring and sustaining the harbours.

‘Portunus’, named after the Roman god of harbours and the crustacean family ‘Portunidae’, will provide valuable data which can support research by national, educational, and community groups aimed at understanding the current status of the harbours’ underwater environment and inform regeneration plans. Divers will be using the skills gained from NAS training, BSAC’s Underwater Surveyor course and MCS Seasearch training to record the underwater habitats, including wrecks, and marine life observed at various sites in both harbours. In addition, our divers will be recording water quality (pH, salinity etc, visibility etc) as well as Non-Native Species and UK Priority Species and Habitats such as seagrass and native oysters. We are closely liaising with harbour authorities, research, and conservation organisations to agree locations and dates for our dives. Working with voluntary and community groups we also have a great opportunity to show others what we have seen through a community engagement programme. At a successful event in 2024 to launch project Portunus, it became very clear that we can use our diving and survey skills to provide high quality data that will be essential to helping secure the health and sustainability of our harbour ecosystems. We are hugely excited at this opportunity to learn about our local waters, which have been largely un-dived for many years and lack quality data about the underwater habitats. Portunus is a tremendous way to broaden our knowledge of the marine environment and contribute to a better understanding of the changes and challenges facing the Solent and its harbours. Portunus is generously supported with grants from Sea-Changers, The Solent Forum Natural Environment Group and The Clean Harbours Partnership.