A grouper needs you!
March 2016
29th March - Formby Beach Clean - 11:00 - 14:00pm
April 2016
7th April - Bridgewater Canal Clean - 13:00 - 14:30pm
15th April - SEA LIFE Trust's Big Spring Beach Clean (with Tideline Treasure Hunt)
May 2016
5th May - Bridgewater Canal Clean - 13:00 - 14:30pm
30th May - Formby Beach Clean - 10:30 - 14:00pm
June 2016
16th June - Bridgewater Canal Clean - 13:00 - 14:30pm
26th June - Sponsored Walk with Whales (WDC)
30th June - Formby Beach Clean
July 2016
7th July - Bridgewater Canal Clean - 13:00 - 14:30pm
18th July - Formby Beach Clean - 11:00 - 14:00pm
August 2016
11th August - SEA LIFE Trust's Big Summer Canal Clean - 13:00 - 14:30pm
24th August - SEA LIFE Trust's Big Summer Beach Clean with Tideline Treasure Hunt - 10:00 - 13:30pm
September 2016
8th September - Bridgewater Canal Clean - 13:00 - 14:30pm
28th September - Formby Beach Clean - 11:00 - 14:00pm
October 2016
6th October - Bridgewater Canal Clean - 13:00 - 14:30pm
26th October - SEA LIFE Trust's Big Autumn Beach Clean with Tideline Treasure Hunt - 10:30 - 14:00pm
November 2016
10th November - Bridgewater Canal Clean - 13:00 - 14:30pm
24th November - Formby Beach Clean - 11:00 - 14:00pm
Everyone of all ages are welcome! From individuals looking to make a difference; to families, youth groups, student groups and local community groups, everyone is welcome to join us in helping to protect our native wildlife!
We provide any equipment necessary so volunteers only need to dress for the weather and bring their enthusiasm, protective gloves if they have them and a packed lunch if attending a beach clean.
During the Tideline Treasure Hunt section of certain beach cleans, we'll be searching for and identifying different egg cases, shells, seaweeds etc. along the tideline so people can learn about the kind of creatures they're helping us to protect.
The number of specific shark/skate/ray eggcases that we identify during the Tideline Treasure Hunt will also be added to the Shark Trust's Great Eggcase Hunt project so you'll also be helping to gain a better understanding of species abundance, distribution and how to protect them.
Going through the tideline also has the added benefit of allowing us to remove small particles of plastic found in this area which are often consumed by wildlife as the tideline is a particularly common foraging area for seabirds and other wildlife.
You will have directly helped to protect our native aquatic creatures but as thanks, we provide all our volunteers with a free day entry ticket to our Sea Life centre! We also enter our volunteers into a monthly conservation champion prize draw, to win either a free SeaTREK experience or a Turtle Feed with our resident green sea turtle Ernie!
Email ConservationSLM@merlinentertainments.biz to sign up so we can gauge numbers and the equipment we'll need, or for any further questions about the events
Goliath Grouper Preservation
The Goliath Grouper is a close relative to the White Grouper. It is a large fish, belonging to the Serranidae family. Two Groupers are new arrivals at SEA LIFE Porto and our next Preservation campaign will be on behalf of this incredible animal that, for being so friendly and sociable, is in serious danger of extinction!
They’re so expressive that sometimes they seem to watch us on purpose! They live at shallow depths, between 3 and 200 meters (10 and 650 feet), which makes them particularly vulnerable fishing. Although they are already scarce in many seas, we can still find many specimens in the Azorean waters.
One of the greatest threats facing the Grouper is fishing for juveniles.
The Grouper is a protogynous hermaphrodite fish, which means that they live initially as females, transforming into males, when they reach a certain length. But for that to happen, in order to allow the reproduction of the species, there must be a small population of individuals of considerable size. If in a population of Groupers there are no juveniles, females may never get to become males, which in theory brings into question the viability of their population.
The slow development of the Goliath Grouper makes their populations particularly vulnerable to overexploitation. Actions such as setting minimum sizes for capture, the establishment of closed seasons during which it is not permitted to capture, and the creation of reserve areas in which it is not allowed to catch them, are vital for the preservation of this species.
In the Azores, it is forbidden to spearfish for Goliath Groupers under the Regional Legislative Decree No. 5/85/A of May the 8th, 1985. In addition, this species is also protected under the Berne Convention.
In our Campaign for Environmental Education and Ecological Knowledge, besides the dissemination of information on the Grouper, their habits and behaviours and risks that it is exposed, we alert our visitors to small daily gestures that may contribute to the conservation of Goliath Groupers and other species, equally endangered.
Demand more and better information. Be responsible in fish consumption. Find out more about the legal minimum measures for fish trading.
Learn how to make sustainable choices when you go shopping. Our sales counter of fish will help you understand when a fish is too small to be sold! Add an extra touch of imagination to your home cooking. We share with you some delicious recipes that are extra-friendly to the Ocean! Learn and have fun with us.
Top 5
On the Portuguese table
- Mackerel - 15 cm (6 inches)
- Sardine – 11 cm (4 inches)
- Gilthead bream – 19 cm (8 inches)
- Skid – 10 cm (4 inches)
- Salmon – 55 cm (22 inches)
Taking a ruler when shopping can become fun! But it is not necessary! Choose shops that follow a sustainability policy for fish trading, which provide all relevant information to help you in your choices.
