Local residents and water users were surprised to see a hovercraft travelling up and down the Deben, and then stopping on the mud flats to take samples and measurements. When asked what they were doing, the operators explained that they were studying the weeds and algae on the mud as an indicator of the long term water quality.
When asked for more detail, Naomi Boyle of the Environment Agency said: “This was our planned Deben Estuary opportunistic macroalgae sampling as part of our TraC programme (Transitional and Coastal Waterbodies), and as part of a larger programme of work focussed on the Deben this year.
Note: Use of hovercraft is limited to window after bird breeding season and before wading bird passage season, we have to get agreement from Natural England. We use a contractor pilot who is highly experienced in this survey method.”
Mystery solved!