We are delighted to be joined by

Henry Short

Estuary Project Officer – Stronger ShoresTees Rivers Trust

who will be discussing

Revitalising our Estuaries:Tales from the River Tees

Happy New Year! We’re delighted to be kicking off the New Year with what promises to be a very interesting talk from Henry Short from the Tees River Trust. We held our very first Cafe meeting on 20 January 2004, so this first meeting of the New Year is the nearest to our actual 20th anniversary. We look forward to seeing you on 16 January.

Summary

Many of the UK’s estuaries have experienced high levels of pollution and habitat loss over the last 100 years leading to localised extinctions of many species. The populations of oysters and seagrass have dropped drastically around the UK in the last 50 years. The Tees used to be home to both these species and the team at the Tees Rivers Trust are trying to bring them back. This talk will explore the biology of these species, the reasons for their decline, methods and challenge behind restoration and the benefits these species can provide.

About our speaker

Henry developed a love for the marine environment growing up rock pooling and snorkelling. Chasing this passion, he completed an undergraduate and master’s degree in marine biology at the University of Southampton. Here he specialised in fisheries science, looking at the effect of bait collection on shallow water habitats. After university he worked for a land-based fish farm designing and building systems for rearing fish and shellfish. In 2021 Henry was hired by the Tees Rivers Trust for on their newly funded Estuary Restoration Project working on the restoration of seagrass and oysters to the Tees Estuary.