Hello!
I'm Janine and I'm the Marine Protection Zone Officer on a small island called Tristan da Cunha in the South Atlantic Ocean, where I’m very fortunate to live. We have a community of around 250 people, and we recently designated 91% of our waters as a Marine Protected Area - the largest in the Atlantic Ocean.
I’m visiting the UK for 6-months of training in the UK and volunteering at many marine organisations to gain new skills and knowledge that I can take back to my remote island.
During my training in the UK I have been learning to sail a power boat, I’ve been chucked into the water as part of my sea survival training and have been on an patrol boat looking for illegal fishing activity! But, I was really looking forward to my time at Wembury Marine Centre to learn more about the UK marine environments and schools outreach.
After being away from the ocean for a couple of months I found being back on the coast and visiting Wembury for the first time was unreal, just to be by the sea and breathe in the fresh sea air was fantastic for me! Living on an island surrounded by ocean means the water is so important to me so when I leave that behind and spend time in a city, I miss that connection.
I spent two days at Wembury Marine Centre taking part in a school session and a shore search survey. I’m currently studying an introduction to Marine Biology and during those two days on the beach at Wembury I learnt and experience so much about what I’ve been reading and doing on a greater scale. This meant seeing all the marine organisms and animals I’ve been currently learning about.
Where I live in Tristan da Cunha, we have rocky shores with plentiful marine life. We have rock pools and giant underwater kelp forests where Tristan rock lobster, Subantarctic fur seals and foraging Rockhopper penguins can be found. It was interesting for me to experience the UK marine environments first-hand and consider those similarities and differences with my remote island. You can find out more about Tristan da Cunha’s marine environments on the Atlantic Guardians website https://atlanticguardians.org/.
Wembury Marine Centre is very fortunate to be right next to the beach and even better the rocky shores. I learn about the great things the organisation is doing, from rock pool and snorkel safaris, shore search surveys, seashore crafts, beach clean ups – there was something for everybody.
My favourite organism was the beautiful Beadlet Anemone. Funnily enough until I spent the day at Wembury I realised I has been pronouncing it wrong the whole time! So, this species and the correct pronunciation will always stick with me!
Thank you to Matt and his team for the lovely experience, I will be taking my learnings back to my home in Tristan da Cunha.
You can follow my work as Marine Protection Officer on Tristan da Cunha on Facebook, Instagram @AtlanticGuardians and Instagram @Janine Lavarello.
