Solent Oyster Restoration Project Officer

BLUE Marine Foundation
BLUE Marine Foundation

This job is no longer accepting applications

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GBP 28k-32k / year

Posted 6+ months ago

Job Description:

Blue Marine is seeking a Solent Project Officer to support the delivery of our Solent Oyster Restoration Project (SORP), which aims to restore the Solent’s native oysters to a healthy, self-sustaining population. Since 2015, Blue Marine has restored over 100,000 oysters using innovative nursery systems and creating oyster reefs. Blue Marine has developed a strong working group in the Solent, in partnership with the University of Portsmouth, the University of Southampton, Environment Agency, Natural England, Southern IFCA, Cefas, Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust, Langstone Harbour Board, River Hamble Harbour Authority, MDL Marinas, 1851 Trust, the Solent Protection Society and local fishermen. In 2021, the first oyster reef was created in Langstone Harbour and in 2023 we created our second reef in the River Hamble which is now home to more than 20,000 oysters. The Project Officer will work closely with Blue Marine’s Solent Project Manager and Restoration Science Manager to continue the programme of work to restore four hectares of native oyster reefs across the Solent.

This is an incredible chance to join a highly impactful charity at the cutting edge of marine conservation, and an opportunity to support Blue Marine’s work to addresses some of the biggest challenges facing the UK’s marine environment.

Salary: £28,000 – £32,000 per annum, dependent on skills and experience

Contract: 1 year fixed term contract, with the possibility of extension dependent on funding.

Hours: 35 hours per week, Monday to Friday. N.B. This job will involve fieldwork, which is often weather and tide dependent, therefore flexibility is required where necessary.

Location: Office based in the Solent, with some days in central London. Field work predominantly in Hampshire and West Sussex. Other travel as necessary. Due to the requirements of the role candidates will require a Full UK driving licence with access to a vehicle and be comfortable driving vans/larger vehicles.

Application deadline: Sunday 23rd February

Interviews: W/C 10th March

Please send your CV and a letter explaining your skills and suitability for the role along with information on your salary expectations to hr@edelweisshr.co.uk

If you would like to know more or have any questions, then we’d be happy to help.

We are committed to an inclusive workplace, where there is equality of opportunity. We value diversity and welcome applications from all sections of the community.

About the Project

Between 1972 and 2006, the Solent supported the largest native oyster fishery in Europe. In 1978, 450 vessels were involved in oyster fishing and 15 million oysters were removed in that year alone. However, since this peak, the oyster population has declined significantly and in 2013 the fishery collapsed. In the UK native oyster reefs have declined by 95 per cent as a result of overfishing, pollution, disease, habitat loss and other pressures. Native oyster ecosystems have recently been classified as ‘collapsed’ by the IUCN Red List of Ecosystems. Native oysters are classified as a priority species in the UK’s Biodiversity Action Plan and restoration is a high priority at the national, European and global level. Globally, an estimated 85 per cent of oyster beds and reef habitats have been lost, making oyster beds one of the world’s most imperilled marine habitats. Oysters are ecosystem engineers and provide a range of benefits to the environment and people. They improve water quality – a single oyster can filter up to 200 litres of water every day – provide habitat to other fish and marine life, and act as a natural defence to coastal erosion. Their value as a food source can be dated back to Roman times in the UK. Unfortunately, the loss of the native oyster has meant that much of these benefits have been lost in the Solent.

The Solent Oyster Restoration Project is restoring native oysters and the benefits they bring through four key interventions:

  • Oyster nurseries: a network of oyster nurseries – adult oysters placed in high densities – have been suspended below the surface of the water from pontoons working in partnership with marinas.
  • Oyster reefs: using shell and gravel (cultch), four hectares of oyster reefs are being created in areas protected from fishing and restored with oysters to re-establish wild populations.
  • Restorative aquaculture: developing the system of floating baskets to on-grow juvenile oysters in the Solent to eventually relay onto seabed reef sites.
  • Community outreach: through volunteer programmes, the project is raising awareness of the need for oyster restoration and its importance.

Roles & responsibilities:

  • Support the Solent Project Manager in delivering the day-day management of the Solent Oyster Restoration Project objectives.
  • Responsible for organising logistics for SORP activities including maintenance and management of broodstock oyster nurseries, organising storage and deposition of cultch material, shell and oyster collection, and other restoration materials and activities.
  • Maintain project equipment, safety equipment and vehicles, including Van MOT, lifejacket and other equipment servicing schedules.
  • Responsible for organising meetings such as technical working group meetings, project updates, oyster biosecurity events, as well as external stakeholder workshops and outreach events.
  • Manage Blue Marine’s coupelle (oyster spat collector) deployments and data with the University of Portsmouth.
  • Manage Blue Marine’s aquatic animal holding licences and ensure that licence/permit conditions are met, and biosecurity protocols are adhered to.
  • Work with Blue Marine’s Education Unit to develop and manage an outreach and engagement programme for the project.
  • Delivering presentations to relevant public and academic communities.
  • Maintain and manage an active volunteer network in the Solent as part of the projects monitoring programme.
  • Liaise closely with the Solent Seascape Project Communication Officer and Blue Marine’s communications and media teams as well as project partners to create media content for the project.
  • Provide input into the annual project reports for public viewing, that promote/ highlight project successes, supported by design and comms team.
  • Provide general day to day support on fieldwork and monitoring activities as and when required and help to maintain monitoring equipment at project sites across the Solent.
  • Assist the Restoration Science Manager with saltmarsh restoration monitoring, project development and small fish survey monitoring.
  • Maintaining relations with a variety of funders.
  • To be based in the Solent
  • The role will involve a level of physically demanding work, including lifting and prolonged periods of walking on unstable terrain. The successful candidate will also need to be comfortable around water and working on vessels.

Skills required:

  • Relevant qualification and/or knowledge and experience of marine conservation and/or habitat restoration.
  • Strong project management skills.
  • An excellent communicator (written and verbal), with an ability to write reports and deliver presentations.
  • Full UK driving licence, access to a vehicle and comfortable driving vans/larger vehicles.
  • Highly self-motivated and able to work using own initiative.
  • A drive and determination to succeed.
  • Able to work under pressure, prioritise tasks and meet key deadlines.
  • Excellent team working and inter-personal skills.
  • Excellent organisational skills and attention to detail.
  • A command of relevant software.
  • Use and understanding of various social media platforms.

Experience required:

  • Experience in undertaking field surveys and sampling and have good benthic identification skills.
  • Experience developing and delivering outreach and engagement activities to a range of audiences.
  • Experience working on marine vessels.
  • Demonstrable experience of delivering and managing large complex projects.
  • Experience in media and communications including updating and maintaining professional social media accounts is desirable.
  • A demonstrable ability to deliver elements of marine conservation projects.
  • A demonstrable track record of effecting positive change within the marine environment.
  • Experience of engaging and managing relationships with stakeholders.
  • Experience giving oral presentation to a range of audiences.

Desirable experience or qualifications:

  • Experience in media and communications including updating and maintaining professional social media accounts is desirable.
  • Experience using ArcGIS.
  • Experience using statistical analysis software.
  • Sea Survival.
  • First aid (at sea).
  • Local knowledge of the Solent.

This job is no longer accepting applications

See open jobs at BLUE Marine Foundation.See open jobs similar to "Solent Oyster Restoration Project Officer" Schmidt Marine.
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