As P1 SuperStock begins its racing season, we head off to the beautiful ‘Floral’ Island of Jersey for the Peters & May Grand Prix of the Sea at St Aubin’s Bay.
Over the next couple of weeks our ‘Eco - Jersey’ articles will take a look at the environment in and around the event. We hope this will be not only useful to you but also encourage you to join us in Jersey, where you can combine a weekend of top class sport with fabulous scenery, superb food, and a warm welcome from this charming Channel island.
We start by looking at the wildlife in Jersey, and in particular marine life, Jersey’s rocky coastline boasts a wide variety of marine life and in the summer there are also occasional sightings of basking sharks, seahorses, sunfishes and dolphins.
What is probably most important to know is that Jersey has one of the largest tidal movements in the world - the third largest in the world after the Bay of Fundy in Eastern Canada and the Severn Estuary.
Even though these tides bring harsh conditions you can still find well over 100 species of fish, crustaceans, and seaweed on the Islands shores.
There are also many marine animals that frequently visit the Island and can be seen through walks or boat trips. Please remember to use the wildlife watching code if you do venture out (see below).
One of the most interesting marine mammals that can be found around Jersey is dolphins. There are up to 100 bottled nosed dolphins that can be seen off the coast of Jersey. They are attracted to the shallow waters around the Island due to its clean water and abundance of food.
There have also been regular sightings of pilot whales in Channel Island waters for many years, which can be spotted in groups of up to twenty swimming slowly near the surface with their dorsal fins showing.
Protected coastlines
There are certain areas of Jersey’s coast that are protected through the Ramsar convention.
The Convention on Wetlands, signed in Ramsar, Iran, in 1971, is an intergovernmental treaty which provides the framework for national action and international co-operation for the conservation and wise use of wetlands and their resources. There are presently 146 Contracting Parties to the Convention, with 1,458 wetland sites, totaling 125.4 million hectares, designated for inclusion in the Ramsar List of Wetlands of International Importance.
Jersey has designated four Ramsar sites and can be found on the map below:
• South East Coast of Jersey
• Les Écréhous & Les Dirouilles
• Les Minquiers
• Les Pierres de Lecq (the Paternosters)
We are happy to mention that the P1 SuperStock event will not have any affect on the Ramsar sites, as our races will take place in St Aubin’s Bay.
St Aubin’s Bay is famously known to be a regular site for recreational activities, and is used to seeing all sorts of marine sports take place.
Wildlife Code of Conduct
I am sure you are already thinking about environmental responsibility at the event, but we wanted to share with you Jersey’s wildlife codes of conduct.
The ‘Marine Wildlife Code of Conduct’ states:
- Ensure that you respect the marine environment, its inhabitants and other users.
- Abide by the local rules & regulations to ensure that your behaviour is appropriate.
- Keep a safe distance from wildlife, if in any doubt stay away from it.
- Always leave the marine environment as you found it.
General Code of Conduct states:
- It is an offence to spill fuel, oil and other hazardous substances at sea.
- It is against the Water Pollution (Jersey) Law, 2000 to permit or carry out such an action.
- It is an offence to dump any waste - liquid or solid into the sea. All waste should be retained and disposed of in the appropriate facilities onshore.
For further information on how to discover this beautiful Channel Island, please visit the Jersey Tourism website at www.jersey.com
‘Culture vultures will discover history at every turn, walkers will be captivated by the Island’s stunning natural beauty, and families can relax without a care on pristine beaches. It’s also the ideal place to clear your head, indulge in some exhilarating outdoor sports, or simply live the life!’
(Source: www.gov.je)
Look out for our next ‘Eco - Jersey’ article, where we give you the best tips on the greenest and easiest ways to get around Jersey by focusing on transport and travel around the Island…
