ENVIRONMENTAL AWARENESS
Newquay Sealife wants to help preserve the local environment in any way that it can. The coast is one of our most valuable natural resources. Guests are encouraged to take care of it and to research how they can get involved.
Angling boats impact the sea in ways that need to be seen in context. Compared to other industries, the disturbance we cause is minimal. But this should not make us complacent. The sea is an amazing place, but we must take care to learn about and develop the skills necessary to ensure that wildlife doesn’t suffer from our visits. For example, nesting and pupping seasons are directly affected by marine traffic—high season for angling boats coincides with breeding seasons for birds and seals.
Experiencing the natural world at sea is a privilege, but it comes with responsibility. Boats are excellent platforms for observing wildlife, but carrying an experienced captain who knows the waters well is key to safely experiencing them all. In our excitement to see wild animals, we may inadvertently cause disturbances without realizing it. To limit our impact on wildlife, it’s important for us to become more knowledgeable about it.
MINIMISING DISTURBANCE
Encountering wildlife at sea is certainly exciting. In order to minimize any disturbance to wild animals and their habitats, however, we follow these basic principles:
Try not to startle or scare wild animals. Stay far away from them and allow plenty of space for them to escape. Do not corner them or block their path. Enjoy the views of wildlife more when they are calm and do not fear your presence. Don’t risk disturbing wildlife when observing it. Look, but then move on. Also, be mindful of the damage to plants and habitats that the animals depend upon.
Keep in mind — you are sharing the environment. Leave it undisturbed for wildlife and those who follow.
Newquay Sealife's Mission Statement
Newquay Sealife is a local company with one goal: to make sure our customers are safe and have fun. We want everyone to leave the boat with a big happy smile on their face. Whether you’re deep sea fishing or doing a coastal cruise, we look forward to welcoming you on-board!
Seal Colonies
We keep a wide berth of beaches with small pups on them, as sudden disturbances can lead to pups being squashed, or separated from their parents. Common seal pups can go into the sea almost immediately after birth, whereas grey seal pups need about 3 weeks to swim. Seals will often observe boats as they move by, sometimes on a rock or in the water. Newquay Harbour regularly hosts seal visitors because of the food that is found here. These seals may appear tame, but we must re-iterate that they are still wild animals and must be treated as such.
Cliff Nesting Seabirds
If we don’t move steadily, we may spook the baby birds and make them fall from their nests. This is a very difficult time for the baby birds and their parents.
Cliff nesting sea birds such as guillemots, razorbills and kittiwakes live most vulnerable times when they are in their nests. If they suddenly get scared off the ledges, their young family members may get eaten by predators.
Birds On The Open Sea
We never want to scare seabirds into flight. Adult birds at sea in late summer are likely to be feeding or resting, so a disturbance might cause them to expend additional energy. If they do take flight, their moulting process will be incomplete and they will be weak and vulnerable.
We enjoy preserving the peace and tranquility of those lovely bird sanctuaries along the coast.
Porpoises, Dolphins & Basking Sharks
The Cornish coast is renowned for its range of cetaceans (porpoises and dolphins) and its increasing numbers of basking sharks. All of these can, in the right circumstances, be spotted from a boat, but it is important that we remain aware of how we can harm the sea life. We will never chase after a cetacean or basking shark. If they want to see us, they may come over and take a look. However, we respect their wishes if they decide to swim away. We don’t want to alter their course because porpoises never show much interest in boats.On the other hand, dolphins are more curious and typically swim over to us, often playing in the bow wave or wake of the boat.
(These guidelines are based on the Scottish Canoe Association environmental guidelines)
Good Fishing PractiCe
Our policy is not to practice “catch and release.” Guests are welcome to eat whatever fish they catch, but we also observe that the law requires us to release any fish below a certain size, as well as any fish that is surplus to the needs of our guests. We respect the seasons for each species to ensure a continuing replenishment of stocks, and we change our fishing locations so as not to fish out one area in particular.
One quality of particular importance to us is sustainability. If you book a cruise, you will not see any litter in the sea. In fact, our motto declares that we encourage our guests to collect anything they may have found in the ocean and bring it onboard our ship for proper disposal — the opposite of what most ships do.
