Up close and personal at Low Tide Day

Cefas scientists at the Burnham-on-Crouch laboratory presented a fascinating array of river and sealife, trawled from the River Crouch, to visitors during Low Tide Day (8 May 2004). The event was held on the seawall just across from the laboratory and was part of, an international celebration of the coastline. Similar events took place at the same time in Belgium, France, the Netherlands and the UK.

“Because the Crouch is so muddy, local people think that there is little life in it … but the truth is very different,” said Becky Kilbride, from Cefas’ Environmental Monitoring science area.

Two tanks held a variety of fish (bass, dab, plaice, whiting, gurnard and more), starfish and shellfish (crabs and shrimps). Local children were able to ‘get up close and personal’ to the fish, placing their hands in the tanks and stroking starfish. This all proved very popular with the children, as did the ‘fish faces’ supplied by face painters in the next tent.

Although stormy weather the day before the event water-logged the Riverside Park, spirits were not hampered. ‘In the end we had a really good time,’ said organisers Carol Starkey of the Crouch and Roach Estuary Project. The Project team now want to make it an annual event.

Others involved from Cefas included Yvonne Allen, Rob Dyer, Ann Wilson and Robin Law.