Dorset Wildlife Trust has been placing ‘nest boxes’ on the seabed in Kimmeridge Bay to encourage one of our strangest marine creatures to set up home.
Cuttlefish, relatives of squid and octopus, have been declining in recent years, according to fishermen and divers. This is thought to be due to heavy fishing when they come inshore to breed.
Following sightings of cuttlefish breeding in Kimmeridge Bay last year, and the successful hatching and release of baby cuttles from eggs washed up on the beach, DWT staff at the Purbeck Marine Wildlife Reserve have made a ‘Cuttlefish Trail’ of desirable nests, including open-ended lobster pots and a willow tent.
The project is part of CSV Action Earth, aimed at getting volunteers to undertake projects of immediate and lasting benefit to the environment, and supported by Morrisons supermarkets.
DWT marine warden, Julie Hatcher, said: “I think of it as like putting a bird box in your garden – we are trying to encourage them to breed here. With divers, they act a bit like a robin in the garden, who follows you about as you dig. The cuttlefish will follow you on a dive, hoping to find a meal as you turn over a rock. They are amazing animals because they can change colour and even their skin texture in an instant for camouflage.”
The Cuttlefish Trail is being monitored by the K Team, the marine reserve’s group of young marine wardens. So far, although pairs of cuttlefish have been spotted in the bay, the only things found on the trail have been a goby and a sea scorpion, taking advantage of the cover.
Original story from the Wildlife Trusts