The Solent Forum
Working in partnership for the future
The Solent is known internationally as a location for sailing and other watersports. It has thousands of moorings spread across its major rivers and harbours, with large concentrations at Cowes, the Hamble, Lymington, Portsmouth–Gosport, Bembridge, and on the Beaulieu River. Across the wider Solent, there are numerous marinas and over 20 recognised anchorages. It is one of the densest and most varied mooring networks in the UK, supporting everything from small tenders to super yachts.
There is high awareness of the potential impacts of boating on the water environment, especially as a result of campaigns managed by organisations such as the Environment Agency, and the Royal Yachting Association's Green Blue initiative.
The Green Blue is an environmental awareness programme managed by the Royal Yachting Association.
The main campaigns it runs are:
The Environment Agency and Natural England hosted a 'Solent boating and water quality workshop’ in June 2019 (view the the workshop outputs). Its aim was to look at ways to change recreational boating behaviour, and improve waste disposal facilities to reduce the risk of pollution from discharges of ‘black water’. It is important to tackle the sources of bacterial contamination as it can put peoples’ health at risk, and effect local communities and the economy, when any one of the Solent's 22 bathing beaches or 18 shellfish harvesting areas are impacted.
The University of Southampton undertook a long-term historical analysis of the impacts of recreational boating on marine surface water quality during a regatta (Cowes Week). Water quality indicators studied included nitrogen concentration, bacterial indicators, and oxygen saturation, at three sampling sites at/near Cowes during 2001–2019. Findings include that sewage discharge from recreational boats is the key contributor to localised faecal contamination of marine surface waters, putting bathers and shellfisheries at risk.
The release of TBT into the marine environment from antifouling has historically been of concern in the Solent. Changes in antifouling practice means that this has now become a legacy issue, however, levels of TBT are still reported above Threshold Levels, particularly in the upper parts of Southampton Water, suggesting that historical TBT is still present in sediments and slowly leaching into the wider environment. Environment Agency monitoring indicates that there is a declining trend of TBT with contamination limited to hotspots.
In addition, elevated contaminants levels are one of the reasons for unfavourable status of SEMS, this includes copper and other derivatives which have replaced TBT. The Environment Agency report that copper has never caused failures of WFD water bodies within SEMS, and it is not currently undertaking any investigations into copper sources. However, previous work showed that copper concentrations were elevated in the Hamble estuary compared to elsewhere in the SEMS, probably linked to the high density of boats in the Hamble. More recent evidence indicates that copper in the Hamble has declined, suggesting that measures to reduce contamination are working and should be continued.
Glass reinforced plastic (GRP) has been shown to degrade and contaminate the coasts. In a study, fibreglass particles were detected in the soft parts of oysters and mussels collected from natural populations, in front of an active boatyard. The results showed higher accumulation during the winter months, when boat maintenance activities are peaking and, through repair work, the release of glass fibres in the environment is more likely. Bivalves are considered high risk species due to their sessile nature and extensive filter feeding behaviour. The microparticle inclusion may contribute to adverse impacts on physiological processes and eventually to a decline in the overall health and subsequent death of the animal. The high costs involved in the proper GRP disposal and the lack of recycling facilities worldwide lead to boat abandonement and further contamination of the coasts. For the first time this study presented the extensive fibreglass contamination of natural bivalve populations, in a South England sailing harbour.
Work has taken place in the River Itchen and Langstone Harbour to remove abandoned boats. Abandoned boats can leak fuel, oil, chemicals, and toxic antifouling paint while fibreglass hulls slowly break down into microplastics. As they collapse or sink, they can damage sensitive habitats such as seagrass beds and mudflats. As fibreglass is difficult and expensive to recycle, many derelict vessels end up left in place or eventually sent to landfill. The Green Blue has resources on abandoned boats which includes a reporting form to track their locations.
