Studland Bay Marine Partnership
What's happening now and how to pledge your support
22 distinctive yellow marker buoys along the seaward perimeter of the Voluntary No Anchor Zone have now been installed by the Ocean Conservation Trust following licensing from the MMO and with Natural England supporting the methodology. This will make the VNAZ boundary extremely visible to all water borne visitors to the bay and highlights when you are entering the sensitive seagrass habitat.
To ensure boaters do not attempt to moor to a marker buoy which is not designed for this purpose, this is clarified on top of each marker buoy.
We are also installing signage telling the story of Studland in the Poole Harbour area at marinas and slipways for visitors and boat users.
Deployment of the existing eco-moorings will commence on 8 April 2024 quickly followed by the additional new 57 eco-moorings bringing our total to 87 in the bay by the end of April, weather dependent. Whilst we aimed for installation by Easter, factors beyond our control have meant a delay of a couple of weeks and we hope that all boaters will respect the VNAZ until installation is complete - and then of course enjoy using the eco-moorings for the rest of the season. All eco-moorings are subject to insurance compliance, for details please contact us.
Boat users, who benefit themselves and the seagrass by using an eco-mooring, can forward their mooring fee of £10 for up to a 24 hour stay this year via the simple to use Sippi Mooring App. This SBMP is not-for-profit and all funds raised support the project.
If you'd like further details on the mooring fee scheme, questions on the installation, are interested in joining the partnership or becoming a corporate sponsor helping us to protect Studland's precious seagrass habitats for generations to come, please contact us.
New for 2024 - our donation page kindly supported by the National Trust: Donate to the Studland Bay appeal
The MMO has now updated their dedicated webpage for Studland Bay with details on the 2023 survey MMO Studland Bay