Boats to rock pools: Marine makeover for yacht club seawall

Nestled in Whiterock Bay, Strangford Yacht Club is home to a fleet of racing boats, cruisers and dinghies.

But now, 10 artificial rock pools have been installed along its seawall in the hope that the club will also become a refuge for marine life.

Believed to be the first of their kind in Northern Ireland, the artificial rock pools - known as vertipools - have been installed by Mourne Gullion Strangford Geopark.

The concrete, honeycomb-style installations are attached to the wall by metal bolts - and they have been inspired by the success of vertipools in the Isle of Wight.

The project forms part of a 'Greening the Grey' initiative, which enhances biodiversity by adapting existing man-made infrastructure.

Anna Murtagh, marine protected area officer for the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and Geopark, said the pools would hold a small amount of water and provide a refuge for species and habitats that were becoming stressed with "climate change and increasing sea temperatures".

"It's really good for biodiversity and species richness," she added.

Murtagh hopes the project can boost the variety of wildlife on the seawall which is normally devoid of it - and she said it was about much more than improving the looks of a concrete wall.

"We hope to see a range of different marine life, stuff that you would normally find in your inter-tidal so your crabs, your starfish, your sea snails, loads of different types of seaweed but we are also hoping to see stuff we are not expecting as well," she said.

Vertipools are artificial rock pools that are used to boost wildlife numbers on the coast.

They are rugged concrete basins with shells fixed to vertical man-made walls.

The idea is to see if they can boost the amount and variety of wildlife on man-made structures like sea defences.

Mourne Gullion Strangford was granted UNESCO global geopark status in 2022 - meaning it is recognised for its mix of geological and cultural diversity.

Geopark engagement officer Gavin Grant said a lot of planning had gone into the project, including marine licencing to ensure Strangford Lough's protected designations would be supported by the artificial rock pools.

"It's the first pilot run, so hopefully within a year we will see really obvious change, but it could be quicker than that it just depends what's in the area.

"The first thing we are expecting to see is barnacles and algae," he added.

Strangford Lough Yacht Club training captain Heather Gilmore has been a member for over 20 years.

She believes the project is an exciting opportunity for young members to learn more about the coastal areas marine ecosystems first-hand.

"I was a biology teacher and I know how much kids get out of the fun of exploring life on the shore," she said.

"I've seen the kids mucking about in the mud and under the rocks looking for crabs and starfish – the wildlife in Strangford Lough is fantastic because the water's so clean. It's such a beautiful place.

"Hopefully we can expand that because we will get more diversity within these vertipools, but they will take a year or so to establish so we'll have to be patient."

Grant said the project would also help the team monitor the presence of invasive species and feed back to relevant government bodies.

"I know in this area there has been records of an invasive barnacle so we'll be keeping an eye out for that.

"It has a track record of working, we know it will work it's just about finding the right places to have them."