Enhanced Yellow Fish Project
Help keep your Bathing Waters
Excellent for People and Nature
Kate Duncan, Marine Impacts Officer
Why the Yellow Fish?
Overall decline in Bathing Water Quality at Wembury and Kingsand
point source and diffuse pollution impacting
• Bathing Waters
• Priority habitats
• increase Total Inorganic Nitrate
Integrated action plan
• Misconnection inspections
• Farm inspections and advice
• Improving display of Pollution Risk Forecast warning signs on or near the beach
• Project to improve the connection of Wembury Stream with its floodplain
• Increasing visitor, local community, and business awareness of pressures on bathing water quality
Partnership approach
• Water Environment Improvement Fund (Revenue)
• Marine Recreational Mitigation and Management Scheme
• Tamar Estuaries Consultative Forum
Project Approach
Enhanced version of the original Yellow Fish Scheme
Encourage positive environmental behaviour
Yellow and blue fish represents the landward pressures and seaward pressures.
Call to Action
Keep Your Bathing Waters Excellent for People and Nature
What goes down the drain could end up directly in the watercourse
Use less water and slow surface runoff– take pressure off the system
Enjoy your activity but look after the environment– signposting to resources & facilities
Every small action can help protect our water and wildlife
Primary audiences
• Community
• Businesses
• Agriculture and Equestrian interests
• Recreation and Tourism
Planning and Stakeholder Mapping
Support from
• Parish Councils
• Local Authorities
• South West Water
• Landowners
• Key Organisations
• National Trust
• Devon Wildlife Trust
• Wembury Advisory Group
• National Landscapes
• Installation easy and relatively quick
• Not just at traditional drain grates – all areas where water may travel to sea
• Temporary signage but potential for more permanent interpretation e.g. wooden pillars
Site Selection and Installation
• Key locations were identified for interpretation resources
• Areas where people congregate and main routes for travel
• Surface Water Drain Routes
• Pilot at Wembury Beach
Resources
Follow the Yellow Fish
Engagement
• Creation of community engagement pack
• Social media resources
• Schools and community groups
• Holiday lets and campsites
• Mini Campaigns in run up and during peak periods and Bathing Water Season
• Adaptable – other creative approaches could be used
Follow the Yellow Fish Further
Phase 1 - Cawsand and Kingsand and Wembury
Phase 2 - City of Plymouth
Project Outputs : locally overall improved water consumption and wastewater management, greater understanding of individual action, encouragement of positive environmental behaviors
Environmental Outcomes : Contribute to Excellent Bathing Waters, increased seagrass density and extent, healthier habitats, increased biodiversity
• Tamar Management
Catchment 300k –doubles visitors annually
• 25 markers in each location
• Engagement potential 20,000 annually
• 132 unique page view so far
• Scope to develop resources further
• Share resources and use engagement pack common brand identity across Devon and Cornwall
• Adaptable and updatable
• Comparatively low cost
• Can be Community led
Kate Duncan – Marine Impacts Officer, Marine Team, PCC
Kate.Duncan@plymouth.gov.uk
Rob Price – Environment Agency
robert.price@environment-agency.gov.uk
